Recently proposed education initiatives in Vermont will do little to improve schools and may negatively impact the state’s small, rural schools, according to a report from the Penn State Center for Rural Education and Communities.
The report examines proposed improvements such as school district consolidation and the elimination of a grant for small schools. The authors concluded that consolidating school districts would not benefit Vermont. “National and local research clearly shows consolidtion does not produce financial savings or lower per-pupil costs,” they write.
The report also looks at a recent proposal to eliminate Vermont’s Small Schools Grant, which provides support for schools with a two-year average enrollment of less than 100 students. The authors write that “such proposals fail to account for the critical role small schools play in sustaining their local communities.”
