HARDWICK – Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union School (OSSU) Superintendent David Baker expects programs at its member schools to continue without interruption despite the U.S. Department of Education’s abrupt halt to distribution of Federal funding to Vermont schools announced June 30.
As reports come that the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont schools across the state are concerned about the effect of the halt on the six Federal grant programs it supported, Baker said, funds directed at OSSU schools “are restricted to Title 2 and Title 4, so they don’t affect our large Title 1 allocation.”
The effect of those cuts to the supervisory union is limited because, “We can . . . use any rollover and we do have enough of that to continue most of the programs we have in place,” said Baker. Continuing his optimistic tone, Baker added, “It might have to be at a slightly reduced rate and we may eventually have to make some tough decisions but we’re not panicking until we absolutely have to panic.”
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
