MAUSD has voted to begin a study that includes the potential closure of Monkton Central School. MCS ranks in the top 7% of Vermont elementary schools academically — and enrollment has grown every year for five consecutive years, from 122 to 161 students. Before any school closes, the community deserves straight answers to questions that have not yet been asked publicly.
Before you read the evidence, know exactly what we're arguing.
The public deserves honest answers before any school is put at risk. The facts do not support closure as the right solution. We want transparency, fair process, and all options on the table — not just the most visible, permanent one.
Every school in this district matters. A loss anywhere is serious. This is not Monkton vs. anyone. It's about whether the process is fair and evidence-based before any community is asked to sacrifice.
They absolutely do. That's precisely why we seek a full public accounting — of administrative costs, the office lease, CESA alternatives, benefits structures, and the full range of state-level options — before schools become the only answer.
MAUSD has publicly posted three education delivery models it is currently studying. The district has four elementary schools: Monkton Central School, Beeman Elementary (New Haven), Bristol Elementary, and Robinson Elementary (Starksboro).
Our current structure and grade configuration, with additional cost-saving measures at the local and regional level. A thorough study of how MAUSD can offer high-quality education and reduce costs while all community schools remain open — unless a town votes otherwise. This study has not yet been done.
Source: MAUSD "Shape the Future" post
Closure of two elementary schools. Students from all four towns consolidated into two buildings serving entirely reorganized populations. 6th grade absorbed into the secondary school. The board voted April 14, 2026 to study Bristol and Robinson as continuing sites, with Monkton as a potential closure. At the April 30, 2026 meeting, the board is also set to formally study closure of Beeman Elementary (New Haven) — meaning two of the four community elementary schools are now under active closure consideration.
Source: MAUSD "Shape the Future" post
A complete restructuring — also called "grade banding." Closure of two elementary schools, all grade 6 students moved to Mt. Abraham. Elementary children separated by age, not community. No town keeps its community school. A variant ("consolation plan") uses Options B and C if Monkton rejects closure.
Source: MAUSD "Shape the Future" post
When the district began pushing consolidation, Starksboro organized. They showed up at every board meeting, challenged the district to present data, and made their position clear through democratic process. On May 10, 2022, Starksboro voted unanimously to pursue conditional withdrawal from MAUSD — contingent on the proposed MAUSD/ANWSD merger passing. Bristol, Monkton, and New Haven ratified Starksboro's right on August 9, 2022. When voters in both districts rejected the merger by more than 2-to-1, Robinson Elementary was protected. Starksboro never had to leave the district.
The Starksboro Save Our Schools organization has continued to vigorously organize and attend every school board meeting. Three Starksboro school board members will be at Monkton's April 24th community meeting to express support.
"Monkton stands with Starksboro in demanding factual analysis and democratic process before any permanent change to our community schools. You are joining a community of seasoned advocates. The consolidation can only take place if a town votes to close the school. Starksboro has shown they stand by their community school. Monkton can too."Starksboro Save Our Schools →
Before any community is asked to close its school, these five questions need clear, public, fact-based answers from the MAUSD school board.
MAUSD's public record already includes a November 2020 NESDEC Facility Best Use Study, several 2021 community updates, and a New Solutions K-12 review of five community proposals — commissioned to the tune of $95K. MAUSD's own summary says it did not recommend a best option. Then came the TruexCullins Facilities Evaluation in September 2024 — which found MAUSD's buildings are in better overall condition than most Vermont schools, and does not recommend closing any school.
Four years of studies produced no actionable conclusion. The analysis has been entirely biased toward closure: there has been no study of what currently exists, how it might function better, what educational outcomes each scenario would produce, or what access and equity considerations are at stake. The evaluation has hinged on the Superintendent's call to study closure options and teacher advisory testimony — not evidence.
Critically: the Levinson Report — which the district commissioned — identified a scenario for reducing costs without closing schools. That option was never investigated or publicly presented. Before authorizing yet another study, the community deserves to know: what would it answer that prior ones could not?
Sources: MAUSD Facilities Planning page; TruexCullins errors documentation — Robinson Elementary
Monkton is not alone. Starksboro has been at every board meeting for years challenging the district to present data and demanding a fair process. Monkton stands with Starksboro in demanding the same accountability: factual analysis, democratic process, and no permanent decisions without evidence.
The April 14, 2026 board meeting made the district's reasoning explicit. Board members voted to formally study Bristol and Robinson as schools to remain open — and added Monkton as a potential closure. In recorded public discussion, one board member stated:
"I believe that Starksboro is not and will never be ready to close Robinson. I just don't see us having the political capital, wherewithal, or stamina to have this fight in Starksboro. And I think the townspeople of Monkton are more divided than the townspeople of Starksboro are."
The same board member confirmed MCS is on the chopping block:
"Monkton Central School is now a school that's considered to be on the chopping block… I don't see that big of a difference between educating students at Robinson or educating students at Monkton. I think the worst thing we could do today is not select schools."
A second board member — Monkton's own representative — urged that residents be given time to understand what is coming: "I'm thinking that Monkton doesn't have their ear to the ground… I think this is going to catch Monkton off guard."
This is on the public record. The closure process can only move forward if Monkton votes to approve it. The community's response is the same as Starksboro's: organized, fact-based, and democratic.
The data does not support closure. MCS ranks 9th out of 133 Vermont elementary schools — top 7% in the state — with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger (2023-24). In 4th grade English Language Arts, 85% of MCS students are proficient, compared to a Vermont state average of 54%. In 4th grade math, 58% are proficient versus a state average of just 30%. U.S. News ranks MCS #29 among all Vermont elementary schools. MCS is delivering top-7% academic outcomes with a cost per pupil in line with the Vermont state average. MCS enrollment has grown every year for five years — from 122 to 161 students. Monkton is a highly motivated, growing, viable community capable of organizing around a common goal — as proven through community resources like the dog park, the hard court at Morse Park, and the Monkton Town Forest.
Sources: MAUSD board meeting, April 14, 2026 (public video); SchoolDigger — Monkton Central School; U.S. News Elementary School Rankings
Vermont's education system is funded through a statewide Education Fund, not a town-pays-for-its-own-school model. A closure doesn't simply remove a line from a town's budget. No cost savings have even been presented by the district — everything to date has been speculative.
The existing evidence is not encouraging. A study of rural Maine communities found that in two of the three communities studied, the expected tax reductions and cost savings never occurred. Vermont has its own data: the only comprehensive study of Vermont's Act 46 consolidations — a 2024 Yale University economics thesis analyzing 109 Vermont districts — found that merged and unmerged districts spent approximately the same per pupil. Administrative savings were erased by salary, transportation, and support cost increases. Vermont's own Joint Fiscal Office confirmed: consolidation savings "could" be realized — not "will."
We also need to look at the broader economic implications. Monkton's Development Review Board approved 10 additional lots and 15 additional dwelling units in 2025 alone. Monkton is a growing town; our tax base is increasing. Closing the school could reverse this, depressing property values and reducing the tax base for the entire district. A Journal of Housing Research study found a well-performing elementary school adds approximately 6.8% to home values in its attendance zone.
Sources: Vermont JFO fiscal note on Act 73; Vermont Public — Grace Miller, Yale 2024; VT Legislative Research Service (2025); Journal of Housing Research (Iowa, 2017)
According to the Vermont School Boards Association, salaries, wages, and health benefits constitute approximately 80% of school district budgets. Closing a building does not address 80% of costs. Before schools are on the table, the public deserves a full and transparent accounting of district overhead.
Specific questions that have not been publicly answered:
Update — April 30, 2026: The board's April 30 agenda includes an action item directing the Superintendent to study moving the central office into a school as soon as Summer 2027. This directly validates what the community has been calling for. We will watch whether this action is approved and actually followed through.
Sources: Addison Independent, Sept. 5, 2024; VSBA testimony, Feb. 2024; 2024 Annual Meeting Warning, Article 9
Vermont's Act 73 (2025) sets up sweeping changes to education governance and finance, including a new foundation funding formula scheduled to take effect July 1, 2028. As of April 2026, the Legislature is actively debating whether to delay this to 2030. No cost savings have even been presented for any closure scenario. The financial assumptions being used today may not reflect how Vermont funds schools in two years. Making a permanent closure decision during this period of statewide transition is premature.
Additionally: Vermont law gives Monkton voters a direct check on this decision. Under the MAUSD Articles of Agreement, an elementary school may be closed only with affirmative votes of both the MAUSD Board AND the voters of the member town. Monkton's own board representative confirmed the community didn't fully understand what was at stake before the April 14 vote. Now they do — and they have the right to weigh in.
Every item below is on the public record. The pattern is clear: years of study, no clear recommendation, and a process that has so far failed to evaluate the full range of options.
Earliest recorded district-level facilities planning work, including sub-committee records.
Source: MAUSD Facilities Planning page
First major outside study of district facilities commissioned by MAUSD.
Source: MAUSD Facilities Planning page
District hires outside firm ($95K) to review five community proposals. MAUSD's own summary: the report "does not recommend a best option." A cost-reduction-without-closure scenario was included but never investigated.
Source: MAUSD Facilities Planning page
Starksboro votes unanimously for conditional withdrawal. Monkton, Bristol, and New Haven ratify on Aug. 9 (New Haven's withdrawal failed by just 2 votes). Merger rejected 2-to-1 in November. Robinson Elementary remains open. Starksboro's community organizing succeeded.
Source: Starksboro Save Our Schools
Article 9 rejected. District continues to rent at ~$86,000/year. Beeman Elementary has available space that could accommodate offices with no renovation.
Source: Addison Independent, Sept. 5, 2024; 2024 MAUSD Annual Meeting Warning
New architectural condition assessment. Key finding: MAUSD buildings are in better condition than most Vermont schools. Does not recommend closing any school. Multiple verifiable errors in the Robinson Elementary data were submitted to the board chair a week before the April 14 vote — the board proceeded without correcting them.
Board votes to formally study Bristol and Robinson as schools to remain open, adding Monkton as a potential closure. Starksboro representatives vote no and call for full factual analysis. Board members state publicly that MCS is "on the chopping block."
The April 30 agenda includes: directing a deeper study pairing Monkton and Robinson with Bristol; formally studying closure of Beeman Elementary (New Haven) with and without school choice; amending the closure vote timeline to no earlier than November 2026; and — critically — directing the Superintendent to study moving the central office into a school as soon as Summer 2027. The community has been calling for this last item for months.
Act 73 of 2025 schedules major statewide changes to school funding. Legislature is debating delaying to 2030. Today's closure math may not hold under tomorrow's rules.
Every claim on this site ties to a public document.
All prior studies, community proposals, cost data
District RecordBeeman closure study added; timeline delayed; central office move directed
Board RecordPublic video: board states MCS is "on the chopping block" and votes to advance closure study
Board RecordOfficial district statement of the three delivery models
District RecordIncludes 2024 Article 9: $1.23M office purchase rejected by voters
Voting RecordTown vote required before any member school can be closed
Legal RecordStatewide education finance changes; formula effective July 1, 2028
State LawNo general trend of savings; Maine: tax reductions didn't materialize in 2 of 3 towns
ResearchDistrict states 5-year rent = $430,000. ~$86,000/year.
NewsFactual errors in the TruexCullins presentation, submitted to board chair before April 14 vote
Community RecordBacked by public documents. Updated as new information becomes available.
No — and it's been discussed longer than many people realize. MAUSD has been studying consolidation and school closures since at least 2019–2020. Many community members have heard about it for years and assumed it would go nowhere. But on April 14, 2026, the board voted to formally study specific closure scenarios and explicitly placed Monkton Central School on the chopping block. Years of talk became an official board vote. The window to be heard is before the next vote, not after it.
This is not a new issue. MAUSD's public record shows facilities and school-configuration work going back to at least 2019–2020: a NESDEC study (2020), several community updates, and a New Solutions K-12 review ($95K, 2022) all produced no recommendation. The TruexCullins Facilities Evaluation (September 2024) found the district's buildings are in better condition than most Vermont schools — and does not recommend closing any school. What has never been studied: how MAUSD can offer high-quality education while operating all community schools with a cost-savings mindset.
Option A: One PreK-6 school, three K-6 schools, and one 7-12 school — our current structure and grade configuration, with additional cost-saving measures at the local and regional level. All four community elementary schools continue serving their communities. We are advocating that this option receive a full and honest study — which has not yet been done.
Option A.2: One PreK-6 school, two K-6 schools, and one 7-12 school — with additional cost-saving measures. This envisions one of the four towns voting to close its own elementary school.
Option B: One PreK-5 school, one K-5 school, and one 6-12 school — closure of two elementary schools; all grade 6 students move to Mt. Abraham. The board voted April 14, 2026 to study Bristol and Robinson as the two continuing sites, with Monkton as a potential closure. At the April 30 meeting, the board also directed a study of Beeman Elementary (New Haven) under this option.
Option C: One PK-2 school, one 3-5 school, and one 6-12 school — also called "grade banding." Closure of two elementary schools; children separated by age group rather than community.
Source: MAUSD "Shape the Future" post
The April 14 board meeting recording answers this directly. A board member stated that Starksboro is too organized to fight and that Monkton residents are "more divided." That is not a data-driven argument. It is a political calculation — and it is now on the public record. The data points the opposite direction: MCS enrollment has grown every year for 5 consecutive years (from 122 to 161 students), and the town has grown 8.1% since 2020. The consolidation can only move forward if Monkton votes to approve it. Starksboro has shown that organized, democratic advocacy works. Monkton can too.
Yes. Starksboro has faced consolidation pressure for more than five years. They organized, showed up at every meeting, challenged the board to present data, and made their position clear democratically. In May 2022, Starksboro voted unanimously to pursue conditional withdrawal from MAUSD. When the underlying merger was rejected by voters in November 2022, Robinson Elementary was protected — and Starksboro never had to leave the district. The Starksboro Save Our Schools community group has continued to organize and attend every board meeting since. Three Starksboro school board members will attend Monkton's April 24th community meeting to show support.
Not necessarily — and the Vermont evidence suggests it won't. Schools are funded through a statewide Education Fund, not a town-by-town model. No cost savings analysis has even been presented by MAUSD. The only comprehensive study of Vermont's own Act 46 consolidations found that merged and unmerged districts spent approximately the same per pupil. Vermont's JFO said savings "could" — not "will" — materialize. Meanwhile, research links school closures to declining property values (~6.8% reduction in attendance zones), which weakens the tax base for everyone.
According to the Vermont School Boards Association, salaries, wages, and health benefits constitute approximately 80% of school district budgets. Closing a building doesn't address 80% of costs. The public deserves a transparent accounting of administrative overhead — the ~$86,000/year BristolWorks office lease, central office staffing levels, health benefits cost-containment options, and a regional CESA arrangement for shared services. The district already has space available in its own school buildings that could accommodate administrative functions — eliminating the need for an outside lease entirely. These questions have not been publicly posed with the same rigor being applied to community schools.
MAUSD rents its central office at 72 Munsill Avenue, Bristol at approximately $86,000/year. Voters rejected a $1.23M purchase of that building in 2024. The district already has space available within its own school buildings that could accommodate administrative offices — staff could bring existing furniture and move in without expensive renovations. Moving administration into existing school space would eliminate the BristolWorks lease entirely. Has the board evaluated this alternative with the same rigor being applied to closing schools? At the April 30, 2026 meeting, the board directed the Superintendent to study moving the central office into a school as soon as Summer 2027 — a direct acknowledgment that this option has merit.
Research consistently shows school closures reduce property values, accelerate population decline, and increase transportation costs. A Journal of Housing Research study found a well-performing elementary school adds approximately 6.8% to home values in its attendance zone. Lower home values mean a weaker tax base — making everyone's property taxes worse. Monkton's Development Review Board approved 10 additional lots and 15 additional dwelling units in 2025 alone. Closing the school could reverse this growth and hurt the whole district's economic vitality.
Yes. Under the MAUSD Articles of Agreement, an elementary school may be closed only with an affirmative vote of the MAUSD Board AND an affirmative vote of the voters in the member town where the school is located. Monkton voters have a direct democratic check on this decision. The process cannot advance without Monkton's approval.
Vermont's Act 73 (2025) is restructuring the entire state education finance system, with a new foundation formula scheduled to take effect July 1, 2028 — though as of April 2026, the Legislature is actively debating a delay to 2030. The financial assumptions driving today's closure arguments may not reflect how Vermont funds schools in two to four years. Making a permanent closure decision during this period of statewide transition is premature.
Contact the full board: school-board-mausd@mausd.org
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Friday, April 24, 2026 · 7:00 PM · MCS Gymnasium. Vermont state representatives and MAUSD board members will be present. Show up with your neighbors.
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Stay focused on facts, transparency, and unanswered questions. Don't pit town against town. The strongest case is the honest one: the district has not made a clear, evidence-based case for closure, and the community deserves that before anything moves forward. Monkton stands with the other towns in the district who all believe in the importance of community schools.