The Otter Valley Unified Union School Board looked both at changes ahead and progress underway at its Sept. 1 meeting, discussing Act 170 and community survey results, student academic performance, and new state expectations for school board oversight.

What OVUU is hearing from the community so far

Last month, the board launched a survey to learn about the community’s priorities as OVUU prepares to explore possible mergers with other school districts, as required under Act 170. The survey had received 163 responses as of Tuesday’s meeting. The two most frequently mentioned concerns so far relate to support and compensation for teachers and staff, cited 21 times, and the cost burden of education taxes on residents, cited 20 times. Other recurring concerns included program quality and offerings, transparency and communication, skepticism around facilities and construction funding, preserving small schools and local control, transportation, administrative costs, and special education and equity.

Board members hope to hear from substantially more residents. The district’s goal is 1,000 survey responses, although consultant Alyson Pope said they would be happy to reach 500.

The survey results are helping shape the district’s Sept. 22 public input sessions, which are designed as working groups where residents can explore the issues raised by the survey and continue the conversation about OVUU’s priorities. The sessions will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Otter Valley Union High School library. Topics under consideration include facilities, what the community wants to protect and what it might be open to changing, and what trustworthy, ongoing district communication should look like.

Many survey respondents also indicated that they would like to see the board engage actively in the merger exploration process and try to help shape its outcome, to the extent possible. Board president Laurie Bertrand echoed that approach while emphasizing that participation does not necessarily mean agreement. Referring to the board’s participation in the state-required merger exploration process, she said, “Even though we’re going in engaging productively, it doesn’t mean that we’re just becoming yes-people.”

What could happen if districts merge

District leaders stressed that merging school districts under Act 170 would not necessarily mean immediately consolidating or closing individual schools. Schools could initially remain largely as they are while governance and administration are consolidated. If a new district were ultimately formed, decisions about whether individual schools would eventually be consolidated would rest with its board.

Board members and administrators also questioned what would become of work underway if OVUU becomes part of a larger system, including curriculum alignment, an area in which administrators said the district is further along than its potential merger partners.

“To my knowledge, with all the partners we’ve discussed, no one is as fully on board” with an aligned K-8 curriculum as OVUU is at this point, said Debbie Alexander, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Academic data show progress and an area for improvement

Alexander presented some of last year’s student performance data from results of last year’s STAR assessments, which are tests given three times during the school year to track student achievement and growth.

In English language arts, just under half of students were at or above the expected benchmark at the beginning of the year. That rose to nearly 60% in the winter before dipping to just under 56% in the spring. Math showed a larger overall gain, with about 41% of students at or above benchmark in the fall, rising to just over 50% in the winter and ending the year just under 50%.

Alexander said spring declines are common, as end-of-year activities and assessments cut into instructional time and students can become tired or less engaged as the school year winds down. She said the district’s efforts to use more consistent curriculum and instruction, along with teachers becoming more familiar with new curricula, should support further improvement.

Students across several groups that have historically faced achievement gaps made academic progress, including students with Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. However, students with IEPs showed less growth over the course of the year than students overall, and substantial gaps remained in the percentage meeting expected benchmarks. At the end of the year, about 18% of students with IEPs were meeting the benchmark in English language arts, compared with about 56% of students overall. In math, the figures were about 11% and 49%, respectively.

District leaders said they plan to focus on providing special educators and interventionists with consistent instructional materials and programs the district has found to be successful with students. Sanchez also said IEPs should include grade-level goals, with students receiving the support and scaffolding they need to work toward them.

“Our goal is to make sure that students have what they need to be successful,” Sanchez said, acknowledging that student outcomes for those with IEPs are “an area where we could do better.”

New state standards emphasize board oversight

The board also reviewed Vermont’s District Quality Standards, which took effect in 2025 and call for school boards to take a more active role in monitoring and improving district performance. Among other expectations, boards are required to set measurable goals, monitor student academic progress and well-being, evaluate their own effectiveness, and ensure that budgets and other decisions align with district priorities and student needs.

OVUU did an initial review of the standards last year and is now considering how to incorporate more of the requirements into its annual board work plan. District leaders said much of the required work is already taking place but isn’t currently documented in one place.

Sanchez said the changes come as the state moves toward three-year comprehensive needs assessments, with annual Continuous Improvement Plans used to monitor progress. District leaders said the long-term approach could also help connect academic goals with future budget decisions.

The board expects to take up OVUU’s Continuous Improvement Plan again at its Oct. 6 meeting after receiving additional student assessment data.

Board seeks Brandon, Whiting representatives

OVUU is also looking for residents to fill two vacant seats on the school board: a Brandon seat with two years remaining in its term and a Whiting seat with one year remaining.

The board plans to appoint representatives to the vacancies at its Oct. 6 meeting. Those appointed would need to run for election in March to continue serving. Interested residents should submit a letter of interest by email to [email protected].