As Vermont begins reshaping its education system, many questions remain unanswered. This article is the first in a Neshobe Current series exploring what is known, what is still uncertain, and what the changes could mean for Otter Valley Unified Union.
The schools serving Brandon, Pittsford, Sudbury, Whiting, Leicester, and Goshen are entering a period of significant change.
Vermont has begun a multiyear process of reshaping how public education is organized and funded. Act 73, passed in 2025, and Act 170, passed in 2026, set in motion changes that are expected to affect how school districts work together, how schools receive funding, and whether some districts consider mergers.
The statewide changes come as Otter Valley is already confronting similar questions. Its ongoing facilities-planning process is examining aging buildings, changing enrollment patterns, and future financial needs. At a June school board meeting, consultant Alyson Pope said maintaining the status quo was not an option and described the district as being "at a crossroads."
What's changing?
One of the first changes residents may hear more about is the creation of Cooperative Educational Service Areas, or CESAs. Seven regional CESAs are being established across Vermont to help school districts share services and expertise in areas such as purchasing, special education, and professional development, with the goal of reducing costs and expanding educational opportunities for students. CESAs will not replace local school districts or elected school boards, and their boundaries do not determine which districts might ultimately merge.
Otter Valley will be part of the Southwest CESA, represented by Superintendent Rene Sanchez. The Southwest CESA held its first meeting Aug. 6, beginning a process of organizing and determining how the new regional partnership will operate.
Act 170 also creates regional merger study committees, made up primarily of local school board representatives, to consider different ways districts could be organized and governed. The committees will submit their findings and recommendations to the State Board of Education and Agency of Education by September 1, 2027. Otter Valley board chair Laurie Bertrand expects the district to have one representative on its committee.
Participation in the study process is required, and there can be financial consequences for failing to participate in good faith, including the potential loss of state aid covering a portion of existing school construction debt.
As a starting point, Act 170 groups Otter Valley with the Barstow, Ira, Mill River, Quarry Valley, Rutland City, Rutland Town, and Slate Valley school districts, although those groupings can change as options are explored. The committees will focus on district organization rather than deciding whether individual schools should close, but may consider whether different regional arrangements could expand opportunities for students.
The study process will not itself change day-to-day school programming, and participation does not mean a district will ultimately merge. If a merger is proposed, local voters would decide whether to approve it, with votes expected March 7, 2028.
Otter Valley district leaders say the process should involve more than deciding whether to merge. "Every decision we make should be for the good of the students," Bertrand said.
"We're going in trying to see what opportunities it might present," she said. "We'll go in open-minded, but we want to know what people in the community are thinking."
District leaders encourage residents to think more broadly about what they want their schools to look like over the next decade: What opportunities should students have? What is important to preserve? And what might become possible through greater cooperation with neighboring districts?
They also recognize concerns about what could be lost in a merger. Similar concerns about local identity, community representation, school culture, and local decision-making have shaped the statewide debate over education reform. Earlier proposals called for a smaller number of much larger school districts, with the state playing a greater role in determining how districts would be combined. Act 170 instead provides a process for local districts to study possible mergers and develop proposals for local voters to consider.
Rep. Peter Conlon (D-Cornwall), chair of the Vermont House Committee on Education, told school board members at the board's July 14 meeting that Act 170 is intended to encourage those conversations while districts still have time to plan. "How do we see our school district managing declining enrollment strategically over the next 10 years instead of getting to a crisis point?" he asked.
Conlon acknowledged that those discussions are likely to involve difficult choices. "We're going to have to get uncomfortable to move forward," he said.
Other changes are still taking shape
The merger process and CESAs are only two parts of Vermont's broader — and still evolving — education overhaul. The legislation also creates a new school construction aid program to help districts pay for major construction and renovation projects, with potential additional aid for projects that support goals such as consolidation. Conlon said the program is expected to launch in 2029, but lawmakers will still need to identify and approve funding.
Vermont is also changing the way it funds public education. The new foundation formula would start with a set amount of funding for each student, then provide additional funding based on student needs and other factors. Some important details, including how special education will be funded, are still being worked out. The transition to the new funding system will take place over several years and remains contingent on additional legislative action.
"It's an ambitious timeline," Conlon told school board members, acknowledging that much of the work needed to put the new system in place has yet to be done.
What does this mean for Otter Valley?
The ultimate impacts for Otter Valley are not yet clear, but district leaders are encouraging residents to become involved while options are still being explored.
"Change is coming. It's coming whether we participate in it proactively or not," board member Jessica Fjeld said. "That's why we're asking people to get involved now. We want community input so that informs the way we move forward in this process."
The school board is encouraging residents to complete the Community Engagement and Awareness Survey to share what they know about the upcoming changes and what issues matter most to them and to sign up for working sessions planned for September. Comments and questions can also be shared with the board through Reach Out!
What do you want to know?
What questions do you have about the changes coming to Vermont's education system or to Otter Valley schools? Send them our way. Your questions can help shape the topics we address in the coming articles.
The conversation about the future of Otter Valley schools is not new, but Vermont's education overhaul gives it new urgency. The Neshobe Current will continue following the process as it unfolds.
