By JESSECA TIMMONS – Monadnock Ledger Transcript – Published: 09-17-2024 12:05 PM
The ConVal Feasibility Study Committee voted Thursday night against supporting either Dublin’s or Francestown’s bids to leave the ConVal School District.
Six members voted in favor of Dublin withdrawing, while the remaining nine votes were against it. Seven members of the committee voted in favor of Francestown, with eight voting against.
Prior to the vote, members of the financial subcommittee shared projections indicating that if Francestown and Dublin were to withdraw, the remaining seven ConVal towns would be forced to shoulder higher costs, including potential increased costs for an additional SAU to separately administrate the new districts. Francestown Select Board Chair Charlie Pyle indicated Thursday that it may also withdraw from the SAU, which would require a separate and additional withdrawal process.
Representatives from Francestown and Dublin expressed their gratitude to the Feasibility Study Committee for its work over the past three months, and both requested that the committee vote in favor of allowing their towns to withdraw.
“It has been shown time and time again that Francestown can run our school at a similar cost to what ConVal spends, and we will not ask other towns to subsidize our cost,” said Pyle. “Our town has the financial resources and the support of the town to run our own school district. Please let us withdraw from the district, and let the voters decide.”
“Dublin would also like permission to withdraw and to take this to our voters in March. We believe this is what the town wants. We would like to take control of our elementary school and have the support of our voters behind us,” said Dublin Select Board member Carol Monroe said.
Both Pyle and Monroe confirmed that their towns plan to tuition middle and high school students back into ConVal’s middle schools and high school. Francestown and Dublin voters approved a request for a feasibility study committee after a ConVal warrant article that could have led to the closure of elementary schools in Temple, Bennington, Francestown and Dublin failed at the polls in March. The Temple Select Board has also stated that they may consider requesting a feasibility study in the future.
ConVal has stated that reconfiguration is necessary for the district due low enrollment and the high cost of running eleven school buildings. The district is currently running at about 40% of capacity, with some total elementary school populations dropping to fewer than 40 students.
Next steps
Francestown and Dublin have stated that they intend to write minority opinions to the state Department of Education. The deadline for the towns to submit minority opinions is Oct. 22.
Mike Hoyt, chair of the Feasibility Study Committee, outlined the next steps in the process.
“The Feasibility Committee has now completed its task. I will write a report for the state, and then the state will review minority opinions from Francestown and Dublin if that is what they choose to do, and then they will make a decision whether or not this will go forward to the voters in March,” Hoyt said.
If the state gives Francestown and Dublin permission to move forward with their petitions for withdrawal, each town is required to submit an education plan to the state by Nov. 1. The proposals would go to a vote in March. Withdrawal can pass either by majority vote in a town looking to withdraw and across the district as a whole, or by three-fifths vote in a town seeking to withdraw, unless three-fifths of voters across the district disapprove.
