Act 46

Act 46 is a Vermont education law initially incentivizing and ultimately requiring school districts to merge or consolidate. The law is designed, according to the Vermont Agency of Education, "to encourage and support local decisions and actions that:

• Provide substantial equity in the quality and variety of educational opportunities statewide;

• Lead students to achieve or exceed the State’s Education Quality Standards, adopted as rules by the State Board of Education at the direction of the General Assembly;

• Maximize operational efficiencies through increased flexibility to manage, share, and transfer resources, with a goal of increasing the district-level ratio of students to full-time equivalent staff;

• Promote transparency and accountability; and

• Are delivered at a cost that parents, voters, and taxpayers value.

"In addition, Act 46 cautions that governance changes should 'be mindful of any other district in the region that may become geographically isolated.' Although the State intends that all school boards will continually work toward achieving the stated goals, Act 46 acknowledges that the means to achieve the goals will vary depending on the specific circumstances of districts or regions."

Act 46 is controversial due to fears that it will:

  • Limit school choice in towns that have a tradition of school choice
  • Limit the ability of towns to send students to private schools
  • Lead to school closures, with potential negative consequences for students (increased travel time) and towns
  • Decrease civic engagement and local control by consolidating school boards.

Partial Source: http://education.vermont.gov/documents/edu-act46-fact-sheet.pdf