Peacham voters have unanimously approved a measure authorizing the selectboard to purchase the town's elementary school building for $1. Around 40 residents at a town meeting supported the article, which transfers ownership of the pre-K-6 school of about 60 students from the school district to the town.
School board chair Andra Hibbert said the idea surfaced about a year ago amid uncertainty over possible forced district mergers by the state. "It just felt like the only move we could make to sort of future-proof the school as a community asset," Hibbert said. The building will be leased back to the district, which will cover operating costs.
Hibbert noted that the school is in good condition with new ventilation, heating, and windows, and serves as the only potential emergency shelter in town, adjoining the soccer field and pump track. The transfer ensures that if the district merges with another, the town retains control over the building's use.
Similar arrangements have occurred elsewhere. In Roxbury, the school board sold its shuttered school to the town for $1 in November 2024 after the merged Montpelier Roxbury district voted to close it. Rep. Peter Conlon, chair of the House Education Committee, said he could not recall a situation where a district does not own its building except for Burlington's rental of a former department store during construction.
Peacham's decision comes as the Legislature passed a major education reform bill that encourages voluntary district consolidation with a goal of districts having at least 2,000 students. The Caledonia Central Supervisory Union, which includes Peacham and six other districts, currently enrolls 1,461 students. Critics say the bill will penalize small rural schools.
Originally reported by VTDigger.
Photo: Roger Starnes Sr via Unsplash. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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