The school board voted to abandon the closure study for Monkton Central School and focus on cost savings alternatives — a direct result of community advocacy. Now comes the harder work: helping the board find those savings. We've cataloged every idea the studies identified. Add yours.
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 school board began pushing consolidation, Starksboro organized. They showed up at every board meeting, challenged the board to present data, and made their position clear through democratic process. On May 10, 2022, Starksboro held a special vote with 221 residents in attendance — and voted unanimously to pursue withdrawal from MAUSD in order to protect Robinson Elementary. The withdrawal then required approval from the other member towns. In New Haven, the vote failed by just two individual votes, stopping the withdrawal.
Separately, in April 2021 the MAUSD and ANWSD boards had adopted a joint charge to explore merging the two districts. Had that merger passed, all Articles of Agreement would have been nullified — removing every town's right to vote on school closure. On November 8, 2022, voters in both districts rejected the merger by wide margins. That protection remains intact today.
"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 →
— Carin McCarthy, Starksboro Save Our Schools Group Member
The school board voted to abandon the motion to initiate a deeper consolidation study — the process that would have put Monkton Central School on a path to closure. The motion to amend the closure timeline was tabled, and the board is now focused on Option A: finding cost savings without closing schools. This is a direct result of community advocacy.
The questions below remain important context for why closure was never the right answer — and why the community should stay engaged as the cost savings study proceeds. The situation around Beeman Elementary (New Haven) remains less certain and deserves ongoing attention.
Help find the cost savings — explore and contribute to the ideas catalog →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 school board 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 school board 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 school board'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."
Monkton's own board representative pushed back, advocating for the community to have time to understand what was at stake:
"I'm thinking that Monkton doesn't have their ear to the ground… I think this is going to catch Monkton off guard and I would like to advocate for my town to give them a chance."
This is on the public record. Now Monkton does have its ear to the ground — and 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. MCS currently enrolls approximately 134 students — a school the size of a tight-knit community, where every teacher knows every student by name. 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 school board — 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:
Updates from April 30 Special Meeting:
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.
Superintendent Patrick Reen proposes repurposing Lincoln School — the first public signal that school consolidation is on the administration's agenda. The school board has been navigating consolidation pressure ever since.
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
On May 10, 2022, Starksboro holds a special vote with 221 residents in attendance and votes unanimously to pursue withdrawal from MAUSD to protect Robinson Elementary. The withdrawal required approval from other member towns — in New Haven, the vote failed by just two individual votes, stopping the withdrawal. Separately, in April 2021 the MAUSD and ANWSD boards had adopted a joint charge to explore merging the two districts. Had the merger passed, all Articles of Agreement would have been nullified, removing every town's right to vote on school closure. On November 8, 2022, voters in both districts reject the merger by wide margins. Robinson Elementary remains protected.
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."
Approximately 135 Monkton residents gathered at MCS to hear from Vermont state representatives and MAUSD board members. Watch the full recording.
The school board voted DOWN the motion to initiate a deeper study around consolidating schools to Robinson with Bristol - a study that would have effectively set Monkton and Beeman on a path to closure. The motion to amend the closure timeline was tabled with the intent to refocus on cost savings and keeping schools open and revisit in a later meeting. The board committed to engaging New Haven residents about Beeman and directed the Superintendent to study moving the central office into a school no later than Summer 2027. Watch the full recording below.
The Finance & Facilities Committee met at Mount Abraham Library to explore Option 1 — keeping all schools open. State Rep. Rebecca Holcombe presented on Cooperative Education Service Agencies (CESAs), explaining how neighboring districts can pool services like HR, payroll, special education, technology, and professional development to reduce costs. She noted that MAUSD should be ready to move quickly once the legislature finalizes the CESA framework, but advised waiting until the current session closes before committing to implementation details. The committee also discussed reviewing the Levenson Report for additional cost effectiveness ideas, and heard from Addison NW that they already share classes, food services, athletics, and aligned pay scales with MAUSD. M. Dash was appointed committee chair.
Monday May 26, 6pm. The board is expected to continue the cost savings conversation and report on the central office relocation study directed at the April 30 meeting. No agenda or Zoom link available yet.
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 RecordSchool board votes DOWN consolidation study. Closure timeline tabled. 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 five consecutive years, 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 — the school board has been navigating this since at least December 2020 when the Superintendent first proposed repurposing Lincoln School. On May 10, 2022, Starksboro held a special vote with 221 residents in attendance and voted unanimously to pursue withdrawal from MAUSD to protect Robinson Elementary. The withdrawal required approval from the other member towns — in New Haven, the vote failed by just two individual votes, stopping the withdrawal. Separately, in April 2021 the MAUSD and ANWSD boards adopted a joint charge to explore merging the two districts. Had that merger passed, all Articles of Agreement would have been nullified, removing every town's right to vote on school closure. On November 8, 2022, voters in both districts rejected the merger by wide margins. Robinson Elementary remains open. The Starksboro Save Our Schools community group has continued to organize and attend every board meeting since.
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 school board continues to rent. We call on the school board to present full, transparent cost figures to the community for relocating the central office into existing school space — and to do so before any school closure moves forward. 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 question deserves an answer.
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
The closure threat has receded. What matters now is showing up with ideas, not just opposition. The board has asked for community input on cost savings — this is your chance to contribute something that sticks.
Browse the full catalog of cost savings ideas identified in MAUSD's own studies. Upvote the ones you support — and send any of them directly to the board from the ideas page.
Go to the ideas catalog →Monday May 26, 6pm. The board will continue the cost savings conversation. Show up, or watch the recording. No agenda or Zoom link available yet — check back here or sign up for updates.
View meeting details →Join the Monkton Save Our Schools email list to stay informed and know when action is needed.
Sign up for updates →Or contact us directly →Bristol Representative, Community Engagement Chair
Bristol Representative, Chair
Bristol Representative
Bristol Representative
Bristol Representative, Vice Chair
Monkton Representative
Monkton Representative, Policy & Governance Chair
Monkton Representative
New Haven Representative
Starksboro Representative
Starksboro Representative
Starksboro Representative
Starksboro Representative
The board has specifically asked for cost savings ideas from the community. Browse the catalog, upvote the ideas you support, write your own, and send it directly to all 13 board members — in one place.
The board has moved in the right direction. The most effective thing you can do now is engage constructively — show up with ideas, ask specific questions, and make it clear that community attention isn't going anywhere. Don't pit town against town. Stay focused on finding solutions that work for the whole district.