Killington OKs school spending

Rutland Herald | March 07, 2017


By GORDON DRITSCHILO
STAFF WRITER

KILLINGTON — Voters approved the $1.7 million school budget without discussion on Monday.
The school budget and the re-election of officers sailed through on unanimous voice votes and the roughly 90-minute school district meeting Monday night was dominated by questions about Act 46 and the school district merger vote taking place today.

In addition to Killington, voters in Barnard, Bridgewater, Pomfret, Plymouth, Reading and Woodstock are deciding whether to form a union school district under Act 46, the state’s school consolidation law. If at least four of the towns that make up the Woodstock Union High School District — the above-listed districts except Plymouth — vote yes, a district will be formed from the approving towns.

The existing school boards would be dissolved, replaced by a single board made up of six representatives from Woodstock — assuming Woodstock votes yes — and two each from the other towns.

While a number of questions Monday night indicated that people asking were wary of the merger, nobody spoke against it.

“I think we should do it,” said School Board Chairwoman Jennifer Iannantuoni. “I went into this process extremely hesitant. … I didn’t really see any benefit for us. … I have been to 54 meetings so far over the last 18 months. Most of the meetings have lasted more than three hours.”

After all those meetings, Iannantuoni said she still doesn’t think Killington will save a significant amount of money from consolidation. She said she had been hoping to see “legislative pushback” against Act 46 or possibly a repeal, but that does not seem to be happening. If Killington does not join a new district on its own, she said she expects the state will put the town in one a year down the road.

“If this is what I think is going to happen anyway —


I don’t want it to happen, but I think it’s going to — I would rather be at the start of the process, at the forming of this board, so Killington has a strong voice,” she said.



Iannantuoni acknowledged there would be a loss of local control, but said she did not think it would harm the school. She said her time on the Woodstock Union High School and Middle School Board showed her that members of union boards tend to work together for the greater good.

“I have not found board members who think only of their own town,” she said. “People who dedicate the time involved in this really want what’s best for children.”

That comment was echoed by others at the meeting who had served on the high school board.

If not enough towns vote for the district, Iannantuoni said she expects revotes to be held.

Iannantuoni said choice within the district would likely bring more students to KES, and that Killington’s school was likely to survive when other elementary schools in the district might not.

“We have a capacity of 135 in this building,” she said when asked about Killington’s ability to take on more students from surrounding towns. “We’ll be fine.”

The town portion of Killington’s annual meeting was held later Monday night. The $4.51 million municipal budget, representing an increase of about $353,000, along with elective offices, will be voted by Australian ballot from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the town offices on River Road.

Most of the increase in the town budget would go toward municipal projects and equipment.

Voters will also decide on spending $100,000 to help Killington Ski Resort bring back World Cup ski racing back next winter.

A separate but related article on the ballot, replacing support for the ski area in future years, would retire a 1percent local sales tax.

gordon.dritschilo @rutlandherald.com