State agency gives approval to new school construction

By Tom Ayres

Senior Staff Writer, Vermont Standard

The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) has endorsed plans for construction of a new Woodstock Union Middle and High School (WUMS/HS) at a projected cost of $99 million dollars. Formal support for the project, in the form of a “Memorandum of Preliminary Approval for School Construction” from the state agency, was conveyed to Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) Superintendent Sherry Sousa by AOE School Facilities Program Manager Bob Donohue last Friday.

The AOE approval for the project opens the doors to state funding if and when Vermont revives a school construction aid program that was suspended in 2007. “Of most significance to the taxpayers of our district, this approval qualifies the project for construction aid upon the state’s reinstatement of the program,” Ben Ford, the vice chair of the MVSU School Board and the chair of its Finance and New Build committees, said on Monday. “Such funding would dramatically reduce the tax impact of the bond payments from the project to our district’s homeowners, easing the unfortunate tension we have seen in recent weeks between the welfare of our children and the affordability of our homes.”

Ford’s cheery assessment of the AOE approval, however, presupposes that state lawmakers will identify the funding sources to restore school construction aid in the near future. That’s not a given, although MSVU officials are cautiously optimistic that it will occur. Acting on that optimism, Ford said the school district has built a 3.5-year deferral on bond repayment into the $99 million bond issue proposal. “This offers a strategic window for the state to identify and deploy funds to support our project,” the MVSU board leader from Woodstock commented in a statement released Monday afternoon. “Being one of very few projects across the state ready to receive such support puts our district in a very advantageous position.”

However, a statement attached to Article 7 — the bond issue warning for the ballot at the annual MVSU Annual Meeting on Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 5 —clearly spells out the implications for taxpayers if revived state school construction funding is not forthcoming anytime soon. “The Vermont school construction program has been suspended since 2007,” the warning notice reads. “Accordingly, State funds may not be available at the time this project is otherwise eligible to receive State school construction aid. The District is responsible for all costs incurred in connection with any borrowing by the District for the

Project in anticipation of State school construction aid. To meet this responsibility while limiting impacts to district taxpayers, the district intends to use other funding sources such as Inflation Reduction Act funding for renewable energy projects and amounts raised through private fundraising.”

In Monday’s statement and in emails, Ford and the development director for the new WUHS/MS building project, Marlena McNamee, highlighted other favorable aspects of the preliminary school construction approval from the AOE. “The AOE’s decision affirms that our project aligns with the objectives outlined by the State Construction Aid Task Force,” the pair of MVSD officials wrote. “This includes the vision for ‘Newer and Fewer’ school buildings, validating our belief that MVSU should maintain a middle/high school serving as a regional hub for school consolidation.” Ford added that “consistent with the ‘Newer’ aspect of the state’s vision, this approval validates the School Board’s decision to replace our existing school building and not to invest taxpayer dollars into a building assessed by the AOE in 2022 as having a Facility Conditions Index (of depleted value) of 96.7%.”

At the conclusion of the Monday statement issued by Ford and McNamee, Superintendent of Schools Sherry Sousa weighed in with another hopeful note. “MVSU is grateful for the AOE’s recognition of our commitment to educational excellence and responsible community planning,” Sousa said. “As voters head to the polls on Town Meeting Day on March 5, we hope that the state’s renewed commitment to address school construction will incentivize voters. We look forward to the next steps in bringing this longtime project to fruition and providing a safe and secure school for our children.”

It remains to be seen if the state delivers on its commitment to seriously address the issue of school construction aid — a commitment that has lain dormant since the aid program was suspended 17 years ago.