To enable critical building upgrades to improve school safety, function, and looks
To enable critical building upgrades to improve school safety, function, and looks
Facilities Upgrades Bond Vote
The reconsideration vote for the WRUD bond failed on May 20th with an unofficial tally of
In Favor: 446 votes cast
Opposed: 540 votes cast
Official results will be posted by May 22nd by the town clerks. The next WRUD Board meeting is on June 10th in Bethel.
As a result of a grassroots effort initiated by residents of both Bethel and Royalton, we will be having another opportunity to vote on the school bond issue. The petitioners included parents and grandparents of current students but also young adults and senior citizens who have no direct connection to the schools. They simply want to do what they consider to be the right thing for our children, our schools and the future of our communities. The Board fully supports these efforts.
We think it’s safe to assume that no one wants to pay higher taxes. The school budget passed this year lowered Royalton’s school property rate by 5% and raised Bethel’s by 2%. This is well below the state average. We will continue to work to keep tax rates low. If passed, the bond will add about $50 over the course of the bond to the tax bill for a home appraised at $200,000. Those who qualify and apply for the homestead allowance would see less of an increase.
Some people have expressed concern about the State’s movement toward further consolidation of our schools and whether we will even have a high school in the future. White River Valley Supervisory Union has been the model of a successful consolidation resulting from Act 46. Our supervisory union went from four high schools to one. This year we have 80 students from 22 towns choosing to attend WRVHS and WRVMS as tuition students at a rate of approximately $20,000 per student. With our strong academics, athletics and arts we are confident we will continue to attract students who have school choice. Even if a new consolidation bill passes into law, building of a new, regional high school might be a consideration a decade from now.
Our children deserve a safe, healthy environment to excel in. Please don’t forget to vote on May 20.
WRUD Board
Nancy Pejouhy, Chair Jamie Daniel, Vice Chair Julie Hinman, Clerk Peggy Ainsworth David Dumais Ed Sullivan
Our school buildings have served us well for many years. Why are we now asking for these improvements? Put simply, our high school enrollment is up. While overall student numbers are down significantly in Vermont from their peak in the late 1990s, since the merger we now have all the students from two towns, not just one attending our high school. We have been attracting increasing numbers of students from surrounding communities as well, leading to our high school having its highest enrollment ever. The current enrollment of 231 is 10% higher than South Royalton High School's peak enrollment in 1998. While we have more classroom space than they did then to accommodate the extra students since middle school students are educated in Bethel, dedicated function rooms, like the music room and shop space are running into space issues thanks to increased demand.
Nancy Pejouhy, Chair, npejouhy@wrvsu.org
Jamie Daniel, Vice Chair, jdaniel@wrvsu.org.
Ed Sullivan, Member, esullivan@wrvsu.org
Peggy Ainsworth, Member, painsworth@wrvsu.org
Julie Hinman, Clerk, jhinman@wrvsu.org
David Dumais, Member, ddumais@wrvsu.org.