Elmore passes school merger

That was a dramatic turnaround from the decision Nov. 3, when Elmore voters rejected the merger 197-164.

Residents petitioned for a revote and an intense debate ensued.

For the school districts to merge, a majority of voters in Morristown must also approve the proposal. Morristown passed it by just four votes on Nov. 3, but residents petitioned for a revote. Voters will go to the polls again on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

If both towns pass it, the merger will be effective July 1. The Elmore and Morristown school boards have unanimously supported the merger.

Elmore and Morristown are both part of the Lamoille South Supervisory Union, along with Stowe, and they already share many educational resources. A majority of Elmore students attend middle and high school at Peoples Academy in Morrisville.

Taxes were the biggest reason Elmore residents voted for a merger. The town’s school taxes have increased by $7 per $1,000 of property value in the past four years, adding $1,400 to the annual tax bill on a house worth $200,000.

With a merger, Elmore’s school tax rate will drop in 2016; without it, Elmore residents face another hefty increase. With a merger, Elmore will also receive a one-time $150,000 state incentive grant.

The main sticking point to the merger was school choice. Now, Elmore students in grades seven through 12 have their choice on where to go to school — most choose Peoples Academy, but 16 are going elsewhere this year. A merger would commit those students to Peoples Academy.

The merger discussions were also prompted by Act 46, a state law that urges school districts to merge into larger organizations, with at least 900 students. The idea is that larger organizations have more opportunities to boost efficiency, and to offer more choices to students.

The Legislature adopted the law this year because, while school enrollment has dropped 20 percent in the past 20 years, school budgets haven’t gone down, and efforts to encourage new ways of thinking about schools have gone nowhere.

Changing opinions

A strong voter education campaign made the difference between the first and second votes, said Elmore School Board Chair Penny Jones.

“I think that, before the first vote, the ‘no’ people got the word out and got as many voters as they could,” Jones said. “This time, a lot of people who were in support of the merger did a lot of work. I don’t think they thought it was necessary the first time.”

While the school board was criticized for holding the vote during a school holiday period to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for landing the $150,000 grant, Jones said, “the numbers at the polls show it wasn’t really a factor.”

A total of 341 of Elmore’s 640 registered voters went to the polls during a snowstorm on Tuesday, and 90 more voted by absentee ballot. That’s 70 more votes than were cast Nov. 3.

Still, Jones isn’t ready to relax just yet.

“I won’t feel relieved until Jan. 19 when Morrisville gets a yes vote,” Jones said. “Both boards have a lot of work to do as far as getting information out to voters and getting people out to vote.”

School Superintendent Tracy Wrend is working with the school boards toward that goal.

“We’re taking this second opportunity to engage the community and make sure they fully understand the options and implications and have the information they need to think long- and short-term about the future of the Morristown and Elmore school districts,” Wrend said.

Voters will have several opportunities to get the facts before they go to the polls, Wrend said.

• The supervisory union set up a website about the merger, based on feedback from the community after the votes on Nov. 3: bit.ly/mergervote.

• The Elmore-Morristown merger committee has invited state education officials to its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 5 to answer questions from the public. The meeting runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Morristown Elementary School library.

• The Morristown School Board will hold a public information meeting about the merger proposal on Tuesday, Jan. 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Morristown Elementary School library.

Opposition

In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 vote, merger opponents launched a campaign on Front Porch Forum and Facebook, urging voters to reject the merger.

They ramped up their efforts again ahead of Tuesday’s vote, arguing that property taxes aren’t the only factor voters should consider.

Many didn’t want to give up the school choice available to Elmore students in grades seven through 12. If a merger occurs, Elmore students now attending schools other than Peoples Academy could continue to do so through 12th grade. All other students would attend Peoples Academy Middle School and High School.

They would also be eligible for the statewide school lottery system, which allows students to apply for open slots at public schools of their choice.

Opponents also warned that the one-room Lake Elmore School could close if a merger were approved. Elmore students in first through third grade attend school there, with enrollment capped at 20.

However, Elmore and Morristown school board members say they have no plans to close the school. It’s very financially efficient and there’s not enough space at Morristown Elementary School to accommodate those students, they say.

Opponents were also concerned that Elmore residents would be guaranteed only two seats on the seven-member school board for the new, combined district. Morristown would have two seats and voting for the remaining three would be at-large.

Morristown has more voters than Elmore, and therefore would likely win a majority of the at-large seats, opponents say.

Projected savings

The $2,709,475 budget proposed for Elmore schools in 2016-17 is 10.9 percent higher than the current $2,442,700.

School officials estimate a merger will save Elmore 30 cents per $100 of assessed property value on its school taxes — about $1,200 per year on a $200,000 house.

The current tax rate of $1.68 per $100 of value will drop to $1.38 with a merger; it would rise 22 cents, to $1.90, if Morristown voters rejected the merger, school officials estimate.

A merger is projected to have no impact on Morristown. Its education tax rate of $1.37 is not expected to change in 2017.

These rates apply only to primary residences. Vacation homes and commercial properties are taxed at a different rate that’s not affected by local education spending.

The projected tax rates could change slightly, as the Legislature hasn’t finalized the statewide education tax rate and the common level of appraisal for Elmore is still being determined. Both figures go into a complicated formula that determines property tax rates.