Vermont families feel disempowered in the face of impending school reforms
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Parents in Worcester fought to protect their small elementary school twice in recent months.
Last fall, the school board nearly voted to close Doty Memorial School. Now, a plan to house a day care center at the school means Worcester’s fifth- and sixth-graders will be bused to nearby Rumney Memorial School in Middlesex.
The situation shows how communities react when they believe decisions affecting their children and way of life are being imposed without their full participation. And it is an indication of the pushback likely to occur should the state move to an education system with fewer, larger school districts and less local control — as both Gov. Phil Scott and the legislature have proposed this year.
Darren Perron spoke with Seven Days’ Alison Novak about her story on the loss of local school control in this week’s issue.
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