Submitted
By Polly Mikula
Ben Ford, vice chair of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) board, and other leaders from MVSU presented plans for the proposed $99 million bond at the Killington Select Board meeting Monday night, as they have done and will continue to do in all seven district towns leading up to the March 5 vote.
About 50 people tuned in (in-person and via Zoom) to learn about the proposal, how it will meet the district’s needs and what impact it is likely to have on tax rates in the short- and long-term —a point of disagreement between Ford and Selectman Jim Haff.
District leaders say they can’t continue to support quality education in the current middle/high school building due to its state of disrepair and pointed to a statewide study of facilities in 2022 in which it ranked second to last. Superintendent Sherry Sousa said sewage had recently backed up in the school due to frozen pipes (she brought some rusted pipes to the meeting, Monday) .
The district will host a tour of the facilities for interested voters to see the status of the building themselves, Saturday, Jan. 27.
See related opinion, page 8.