Vermont school district consolidation case study

Abstract

Facing a declining K-12 student population and rising education costs, Vermont lawmakers approved Act 46 in 2015. This legislation has the potential to consolidate school districts that have fewer than 900 students. The law aims to significantly reduce the number of districts in the state by using tax incentives as a carrot and forced consolidation as a stick. Advocates of the legislation claim economies of size and scale will save Vermont taxpayers money and provide more educational equity for students. Opponents say the initiative is an affront to Vermonters' local control, centralization of power, and a means to close small schools. The purpose of this case study is to understand how preconsolidation and postconsolidation expenditures and student performance results compare to stakeholder perceptions. The research site for this school consolidation case study will be the Waterbury-Duxbury School District, located in Waterbury and Duxbury, Vermont. Results of the study may be beneficial to Vermont communities that are examining and considering school district consolidation.

Local Response to Forced Adaptation Challenges: Lessons from a Post-flooding School Rebuilding Controversy

“…Conceptual content analysis entails the identification of key words, terms, or phrases which provide narrative threads illustrating how broader concepts or themes are expressed and considered in communications and discourse (Elo and Kyngas 2008). It is similar to thematic analysis, which is often used in the study of stakeholder attitudes in school consolidation debates (Alberghini 2017; Nitta et al 2010; Post and Stambach 1999; Surface 2011). Content analysis differs in that it is a qualitative research method assisted by quantitative data management and analysis (Vaismoradi, Turunen, and Bondas 2013).…”

“…The rationale for rural school consolidation regularly turns on issues of finances that couch the need for change in near deterministic reasons, such as declining tax bases necessitating consolidation and economies of scale dictating the need for more efficient administration (Bard et al 2006). Case studies of school consolidation experiences have found financial concerns to be a common theme (Alberghini 2017; Post and Stambach 1999). Those who study risk, hazard, and adaptation also note how economic considerations can drive action, or inaction, and can be contested (Cutter et al 2008).…”

“…Public engagement figures prominently in local school administration and helps to explain the dynamics often surrounding school consolidation deliberations. Local stakeholders may hold differing views and have conflicting interests (Alberghini 2017; Nitta, Holley, and Wrobel 2010; Post and Stambach 1999). Communities that are in closer proximity to new or consolidated schools may be perceived as more advantaged than those farther away.…”