Dear Editor,
As Vermont dads of children attending Vermont schools and members of the Rural School Community Alliance, we’re used to showing up for our kids: on the sidelines, at bedtime, in the school pickup line, and around the dinner table. Today, we’re showing up in a different way: to urge lawmakers to stand up for our kids and our communities as they consider final changes to the education transformation bill.
We love Vermont for many of the same reasons we choose to raise our kids here: the tight-knit communities, the open spaces, the chance to know your neighbors, and the powerful bond between rural schools and the towns they serve. But right now, that way of life is at risk.
The Rural School Community Alliance represents school districts, supervisory unions, and municipal leaders in more than 100 Vermont towns and villages along with numerous supporters from non-member towns throughout Vermont. Rural community schools are not just places of learning they are cornerstones of civic life, economic resilience, and family stability. As the future of public education in our state hangs in the balance, we ask the legislature to keep five key priorities in mind:
Transparency around the funding formula. Before any new funding system is enacted, Vermonters deserve a clear, honest accounting of how it will affect our communities, property taxes, and school budgets. We can’t make decisions in the dark, and our lawmakers shouldn’t either.
Protecting democratic engagement. No school should be closed without a vote of the people. Period. Community input is essential to maintaining trust and ensuring decisions are made in the best interest of kids, families, and taxpayers. A full educational and community impact study should be required before any closure is even considered.
Guidelines, not mandates. Don’t tie the hands of education professionals. Apply guidelines, not mandates, for class, school, and district size. Especially in rural Vermont, flexibility is needed to maintain optimal learning environments.
Respect for what works in rural governance. Supervisory Unions strike a critical balance in Vermont, allowing for collaboration and efficiency without sacrificing local voice and oversight. Any governance changes must build on what works for rural schools rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all model that erodes accountability, weakens community bonds, and likely results in increased costs.
Real community voice in redistricting. The Redistricting Task Force must listen to the people. Community-developed proposals should be seriously reviewed and, where possible, integrated into final decisions. The best solutions will come from the ground up, not the top down.
Vermonters asked for tax relief, not a complete transformation of the education system. After years of pandemic recovery, workforce shortages, and skyrocketing healthcare costs, this is not the time for sweeping, untested reforms that put rural kids and families at risk. Proposals to further consolidate our schools, without strong Vermont-based evidence of cost savings or academic gains, are deeply concerning.
Forced consolidation will hollow out our towns, reduce civic participation, and make it even harder for young families to stay in or move to rural Vermont. For us, this isn’t just policy. This is personal. Because when the local school closes, the town often fades with it.
This Father’s Day, we’re not asking for cards or neckties. We’re asking for leadership that values rural communities and keeps Vermont’s children at the center of every decision.
We urge legislators to do right by our kids and stand with rural families. Let’s build a future where every Vermont child, no matter their zip code, has access to a strong, vibrant community school.
Tim Scott, Peacham; Justin Park, Barnard; Ryan Williams, Marlboro; Peter Bent, Peacham; Matt Henchen, Moretown; Jamie Kinnarney, Calais; Seth McCoy, Randolph Center; Isaac Jacobs, Craftsbury; Eric C. Pomeroy, Peacham; Rob Backlund, Lincoln; Stician Samples, Westminsterl; Neal Yurick, Hardwick; Cameron Thompson, Newport Town; Dan Devine, Peacham; Kyle Landis-Marinello, Middlesex; Dwight Boerem, Wardsboro; Andrew Frost, Marlboro.
