The chair of the Danville School Board has filed an ethics complaint against Sen. Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, alleging he used his legislative influence to push for the closure of high school grades in two Northeast Kingdom districts, a move that would benefit the private school where he works.
In a complaint to the Senate Ethics Committee, Danville school board chair Clayton Cargill wrote that Beck warned him and Cabot School District board chair Chris Tormey that the Vermont Legislature might pass restrictions on school choice for districts that close their schools. Beck advised moving forward with closure votes before the new year to preserve tuition options at independent schools, according to the complaint.
Neither district was actively considering closure at the time. Cargill said he took Beck's warnings seriously and raised the issue at a September 2 Danville School Board meeting. Beck later texted Cargill urging the board to let voters decide.
Cargill noted that Beck contacted only Danville and Cabot, both near St. Johnsbury Academy, where Beck teaches social studies. "The only clear link between the schools he approached is their proximity to his employer," Cargill wrote, calling it a conflict of interest.
Beck denied any conflict, saying he was merely informing constituents of potential legislative action. "Would it have been responsible of me to not tell anybody that someone just made a serious attempt to take away your local control?" Beck said. "In some ways I feel like I'm caught in the middle here, I'm the messenger."
The Danville School District is scheduled to hold a December 6 vote on whether to close its high school grades and tuition students elsewhere. Cabot School District has put a similar survey on hold.
NEK will be looking into the specific legislative language Beck referenced and the status of the ethics committee's review.
Originally reported by VTDigger.
Photo: Austin via Unsplash. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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