New MVSD Analysis: Vermont Government Inaction Will Cost District's Communities $21 Million Over Three Years

Study from office of Finance Director calculates impact to taxpayers in District and across Vermont if Scott Administration fails to approve WUHMS rebuild soon

WOODSTOCK, VT -- August 10, 2026 -- A new report from Mountain Views Supervisory District (MVSD) tallies the cost to taxpayers of withholding Vermont State Government approval for the District’s previously approved, shovel-ready plans to replace its failing middle and high school building at $21 million by 2029. The report was prepared by MVSD’s new Director of Finance and Operations, Mary Henry (see sidebar), a veteran of 30 years in finance and education and a long-time protégée of recently retired District Finance Director, James Fenn.

According to the Vermont Secretary of Education, Zoie Saunders, the State cannot approve any district for school construction aid until the program rules for the appropriation of state construction grants have been written and adopted -- even though grants of up to 30% of construction costs were defined with the passage of Act 170 in June. Legislators deferred establishing such rules within the content of Act 170, instead passing the task of rulemaking to The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE). The AOE has stated that the process could take up to three years.

An initial project estimate prior to a first bond vote, defeated by voters in 2024, came to $100 million. By March 2026, when voters resoundingly approved a second bond to finance the rebuild, inflation had raised the cost for the project by a full 12 percent -- to $112 million. Calculating inflation increases at 6 percent annually, the same rebuild project would reach a cost of $133.39 million by 2029, the report said, or a 33 percent increase from 2024.

The study also calculated the cost to taxpayers of repairs and equipment replacements needed to keep the school open over the next five years, basing estimates on a statewide AOE Schools Facilities Assessment prepared by Bureau Veritas for the State of Vermont in 2023. That study concluded that the WUHSMS building “has reached the end of its useful or serviceable life. Renewal is now necessary.”

Over the past five years, the District has spent $5 million to address immediate facility repairs and equipment replacements. Projecting another five years into the future, the District’s capital improvement plan estimates that work to keep the building operating will exceed $13 million. 

Finally, the new MVSD report considers the additional costs likely if portions or all of the existing building become unsustainable, forcing the use of temporary student classroom facilities -- trailer classrooms -- that would be placed on the football field (ultimately, the site of the new school). Total cost to taxpayers of such temporary classrooms is estimated at $2.4 million.

“While the proposed $13 million in facility improvements addresses what we see as immediate needs over the next five years, there’s nothing about such expenditures that changes the fact that our building has reached the end of its useful life,” said Henry. “Furthermore, it’s important for taxpayers to recognize that under Vermont’s new school-construction funding formula, the financial impact of our situation is shared statewide. This is a statewide funding issue -- not just a Woodstock issue.”

To prevent the scenario defined in the new report, MVSD’s plans include working with both legislators and the Governor’s office to seek immediate preliminary approvals that would allow the new construction to begin without the possible loss of state construction funding later, said Keri Bristow, Chair, MVSD. “The District has reminded legislators and the AOE that it has worked in compliance with Vermont’s Government at multiple levels to replace its crumbling school for a decade,” said Bristow. “The school building is now one of the worst cases of facility deterioration in Vermont by the State’s own 2023 assessments -- and that’s a long and expensive three years ago.”

MEET MARY HENRY, MVSD’S NEW DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

For months before the retirement of the respected and beloved James Fenn,  the district’s former, longtime Director of Finance and Operations, both the  School Board and the District’s Central Office under Superintendent Sherry Sousa  wondered aloud how they would ever replace him. Their answer: hire his protégée of more than a decade. Her name is Mary Henry.  Henry brings more than 30 years of experience in both public education and  finance. Her extensive performance background includes progressive finance,  budgeting, grant management, compliance, audit coordination,  payroll/human resources administration, and cross-department operational leadership. With expertise in overseeing administrative processes, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and ensuring compliance with academic policies and regulations, she has a proven track record as a trusted advisor to school boards and administrators, demonstrating a commitment to supporting institutional priorities and enhancing academic environments.

Henry earned her Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University; Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science Degrees from Granite State College; and a Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction Degree from Plymouth State University. She has also served as a School Board Representative for the Fall Mountain Regional School District (New Hampshire’s Cheshire and Sullivan counties); on the Zoning Board of Adjustment for the Town of Langdon, NH; and on the Professional Development Committee of the New Hampshire Association of School Professional Officials. She is presently a member of the Vermont Association of School Business Officials.

She has previously performed as a Business Administrator for the Winchester, Hillsboro-Deering, Fall Mountain Regional School Districts, and, most recently, the Claremont School District, all in New Hampshire, where she resides. Her experience in the private sector includes work as an assistant controller, human-resources specialist, staff accountant, and business owner.

 “Mary brings to MVSD the skills needed to lead our finance and operations functions with both strategic clarity and hands-on follow-through,” said Sherry Sousa, Superintendent, MVSD. “We enthusiastically welcome her as a new and already highly productive member of our District’s administrative leadership.” team.

About Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU): Located in Central Vermont’s Green Mountains, MVSU serves students from Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, Woodstock, and other neighboring school-choice communities. For more information, please visit the MVSU Website. 

Contact:
Gina McAllister
Chair, MVSD Communications Committee
gina.mcallister@mtnviews.org
Mobile: (802) 738-6414
Office: (802) 952-1048