Tuesday, June 20, Rochester revoted on whether or not to join the proposed Act 46 school merger. In the initial vote, April 11, Rochester and Bethel voted for the merger by wide margins, but the revote Tuesday reversed Rochester’s stance. Residents voted 236 against the merger; 144 for it.
South Royalton also revoted June 13, after voting against the merger April 11, also reversing their previous vote, which effectively denied the merger. Another affirmative vote in Rochester would have created a Rochester, Bethel, South Royalton school district, with each town offering elementary school, then all going to Bethel for middle school and all going to South Royalton for high school.
Rochester’s rejection of the merger upon revoting puts the future of the entire school district in limbo again.
