HARDWICK – Once again voters pressed Mountain View Union Elementary School (MVU) District board members on plans for Woodbury School at a May 14 public informational meeting at Hardwick Elementary School (HES) about the May 20 ballot vote on the FY27 school budget.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Community concerns included where funds will come from to meet fire safety concerns and calling for a public vote to close the Woodbury school, moving those students to HES.
The board later voted to create a school consolidation subcommittee.
May 20 brings the third vote on the FY27 budget, which the board has revised following failed votes. On April 7, the budget failed in a close 315-282 vote. Prior to that, on Town Meeting Day, March 3, the budget failed in a closer 389-377 vote, The board did not revise the budget between those votes, instead relying on possible tax reductions resulting from a possible state investment to buy down FY27 tax rates.
The third budget being presented to voters on May 20 was adopted at the district’s Thursday, April 16 board meeting. “The total FY27 expenditure budget of $9,065,204.25 is a 1.02% increase over FY26 adding $91,604 to the budget,” said the board in the information provided in advance of the vote.
The budget being voted on this third time is $113,088 lower than for the two previous votes with reductions due to the elimination of one teaching position and for PCB testing.
One full time pre-K teaching position will not be filled after it “is being vacated at the end of this year . . .”
The remainder of the reduction comes from a lower anticipated cost for HES PCB testing to confirm the effectiveness of PCB remediation efforts last summer.
The expense increase for this MVU budget is lower than the state average increase of 3.59%, they said.
Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union (OSSU) Superintendent Dr. David Baker concluded the informational meeting by reminding those gathered that the district will be required to set a budget at 87% of the current year’s budget if this vote does not pass the budget.
“It would impact the district if this budget vote fails,” he said. I “hope we can get our budget this time around.”
The MVU board responded to the recurring community concerns, and similar concerns expressed by some of its own members, at its regularly scheduled meeting after the informational meeting, May 14, by voting to form a subcommittee to examine possible school consolidation.
A short-term planning committee is being created to provide a report by October of this year “that will investigate the advantages and disadvantages to further consolidation of buildings in the district.”
That report is to be “based on evaluation of data, including financial, access to educational opportunities, community impact and organizational needs.
Baker said he is “Glad to see a study committee being formed,” and offered “Support for the work this board has done.”
The subcommittee will include one board member from each town, two administrators and one community member from each of the MVU member towns of Greensboro, Hardwick/East Hardwick, Stannard and Woodbury.
Those interested in joining the subcommittee are to fill out the form here by May 20.
Community members speaking at the informational meeting made comments noting a lack of direction from the board on the possibility of consolidating schools.
Several suggested asking voters to weigh in on the possibility of closing Woodbury, as they have at previous meetings and regularly in Front Porch Forum and on social media..
Harold McCoy expressed concerns about hiring a financial consultant and its necessity, given the district is the source of all of available data on the current operation of schools in the district..
Another commenter suggested evaluating all possibilities, including closing each of the schools or breaking up MVU.
Orise Ainsworth commented on Woodbury’s lease of the building to MVU and requirements for MVU to maintain it, including that it could be immediately returned to the Town of Woodbury if MVU chose to vacate it, meaning there would no further cost to the district to close or maintain the building.
During the discussion the board said they cannot speak about the specific scenarios they considered when setting the budget because they include staff attrition.
The FY27 proposed budget for this vote requires $8,956,803 from the state Education Fund, an increase 5.89% over FY26.
The FY27 state average Education Fund spending increase across districts is 4.15%, said district information. “The increased demand on the Ed Fund is primarily due to the loss of offsetting revenues.”
“FY27 Education Spending per weighted pupil is $16,328.74. FY26’s Education Spending per weighted pupil expense was: $15,582.40. The loss of offsetting revenues is increasing the demand on the Ed Fund and, in turn, drives up the Ed Fund per weighted pupil cost,” said the district.
The District’s Equalized Homestead Tax Rate is decreasing $0.08 from $1.8219 in FY26 to $1.7421 in FY27.
Areas tax rates are affected by the Common Level of Appraisal, a property value adjustment calculated by the state. State legislators are considering several proposals to use state funds that will further lower tax rates. The district offered two possible scenarios, either, or neither of which may come to pass.
If the legislature uses half of Governor’s proposed buydown, the Yield will be $9,170 and the projected FY27 Tax Rate in MVU towns after factoring in the Common Level of Appraisal, will be:
Greensboro: $0.90, an increase of $0.1429 or $142.88 on a home valued at $100,000
Hardwick: $0.6575, an increase of $.05297 or $52.97 on a home valued at $100,000
Stannard: $0.7996, an increase of $.0673 or $67.31 on a home valued at $100,000
Woodbury: $1.2293, an increase of $0.0779 or $77.87 on a home valued at $100,000
Those rates will be lower with a Yield of $9373 if the buydown is the larger amount passed out of the Senate Finance Committee, which is more consistent with the Governor’s proposal:
Greensboro: $0.881, an increase of $0.1234 or $123.38 on a home valued at $100,000
Hardwick: $0.6432, an increase of $.0387 or $38.73 on a home valued at $100,000
Stannard: $0.7823, an increase of $.05 or $50.00 on a home valued at $100,000
Woodbury: $1.2027, an increase of $0.0513 or $51.25 on a home valued at $100,000
The MVU budget revote on Wednesday, May 20 2026 is being held at polling places in the four member towns, with Hardwick from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hardwick Town House, 127 Church Street.
Greensboro votes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Greensboro Town Hall, 81 Lauredon Ave, Stannard votes weigh in from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Stannard Town Hall, 615 Stannard Mtn. Rd.
And Woodbury holds its vote from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Woodbury Town Hall, 3675 VT-14.
“This is your opportunity to have a direct impact on the future of our schools and community. Every vote counts,” wrote the school district in its announcement of the vote.
Important article for all four towns. Thank you for a detailed report.
The link to join the subcommittee is broken.
It’s beern fixed. Thanks for pointing it out.