About Vermont Act 170

Vermont Act 170 is a state law that was passed with the intent of strengthening public education through regional collaboration, improved efficiency and long-term.  The law requires every school district to study ways of working together to address rising school costs and shrinking student populations.   This includes considerations like shared services, new governance models, and the possibility of future district mergers.  It also establishes Cooperative Educational Services Ares (CESAs) to support regional planning. 

 

The goals of Act 170 include improving educational opportunities, expanding access to programs and student supports, reducing duplication of services, supporting long-term financial sustainability and promoting greater equity across Vermont communities.  Act 170 does not automatically merge school Districts or close schools.  It does set up a process called merger committees where regional groups are created to explore voluntary merger possibilities.  

We have established the following resources in an effort to keep our community fully informed about the merger group involving our district. Our specific merger group is officially known as Southeast/VTLC Group 7, but you may see it listed or referenced simply as Group #7 or Merger Committee # 7.  This group includes representation from Springfield School District (SSD), Windham Northeast Supervisory Union (WNESU) and Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD).

Here you will find centralized access to meeting agendas, minutes and key updates and resources as they become available to us.  As the process moves forward, we will continue to update this space with new information and opportunities for the public to engage further.