By Evan Johnson
On Town Meeting Day last week, voters in Rutland County passed successful merger votes for the Addison Rutland district, while voting down mergers in Rutland Central and Rutland Southwest. Of the 10 school district merger votes around the state, six were approved.
SU04 Addison Rutland
Four of six towns will form a Modified Union School District. Orwell (219-139) and Fair Haven (220-208) voted against the unification measure. Castleton, Hubbardton, West Haven and Benson will form the Slate Valley district. Fair Haven and Orwell have a 30-day period to petition a revote. A measure has not been taken out in either town.
SU38 Rutland Southwest, SU37 Rutland Central
A single vote caused unification measures in two Rutland County supervisory unions to fail. While voters in the towns of Poultney, Proctor and West Rutland all voted to merge the Quarry Valley district with the Wells Springs district comprised of Wells and Middletown Springs, both measures failed when Wells voted down measure 146-147. Towns were labeled “necessary,” meaning all towns were required to vote yes for the measure to carry. A petition to revote was filed in Wells and is pending signature by the school board. A revote will be April 13. Should the measure pass in Wells, unification would proceed as planned.
