Small schools and districts in Vermont are a burden on the state鈥檚 education system and are 鈥渇inancially unsustainable,鈥� according to a by Vermont Public Radio.
The story focuses on a new report that found that at a and academic offerings may decline. One of the researchers, Bruce Baker, a professor at Rutgers University, wrote that while some small schools and districts can remain efficient, when school enrollment gets to 100 or fewer students, there may be 鈥渁n inability to provide breadth and depth of course offerings at the secondary level.鈥�
Vermont has one of the highest percentages of rural schools, districts, and students in the nation. Nearly are small and rural, and more than 57 percent of students attend rural schools. These schools may have more transportation costs than those in more urban areas, and may not be able to as much as urban districts.
Baker told Vermont Public Radio that school consolidation, not just district consolidation, could save money. For decades, consolidation has been considered a solution for Vermont鈥檚 small districts to cut down on costs, and has created some unique school district models. In 1998, four rural towns, three in Vermont and one in New Hampshire, willingly consolidated their schools to create a new, more cost-effective school district. That district, which was thought to be the first interstate school district, now serves about across the two states.
In the past few years, Vermont education legislation has focused heavily on consolidation. Last year, legislators the state鈥檚 273 districts into fewer than 60 districts. This week, a bill that would passed the state鈥檚 House of Representatives. This year, Vermont is slated to spend more than $7 million in to schools in the state that have an average class size of 20 or fewer students, or a two-year average enrollment less than 100 students.
School and district consolidation, however, is a controversial topic in many rural areas. Some rural communities view local schools as part of the community鈥檚 identity and balk at the idea of losing those schools. Some research has found that consolidation and the resulting larger schools can . Opponents of consolidation say that and equal or better test scores than larger schools.
Research assistance provided by Librarian Holly Peele