WOODSTOCK, Vt. (WCAX) – New plans to either renovate or build a completely new Woodstock Union High School are being finalized after the original proposal was shot down by voters on Town Meeting Day. But the district’s superintendent says the current debate over school funding at the Statehouse is throwing a wrench into the plans.
Woodstock Union High School is a 60-year-old building and officials say the water, sewer, and electrical systems are all failing. A $99 million bond to build a new school was shot down by taxpayers back in March, but the district continues to work on a long-term solution.
“Our facility has really run its course and I am concerned that we’ll really have some catastrophic failure which will really interrupt student learning,” said Mountain Views Supervisory Union Superintendent Sherry Sousa.
After feedback from the public, the school board this month presented three new options: Renovate the old school; Build a new school in phases; Or stick with the original plan with a slightly smaller footprint. By delaying the project, district officials say options one and three will exceed the original $99 million proposal. Option two — building in phases — would likely save taxpayers a little money.
District officials say this year’s debate over education funding in Montpelier is another factor. “The current yield bill put a new roadblock in,” Sousa said. She says bonds passed after July must be included in per-student costs, which would cause per-pupil spending to go through the roof. “If that piece remains in the yield bill, we will not be able to bring anything forward until that issue is resolved on school funding, and where it lives and the impact on per-student costs.”
On the flip side, a new state task force that will consider funding for school construction projects could benefit the district. “I have great confidence the board will make a decision that will first and foremost think about the students’ impact,” Sousa said.
The school board expected to announce which direction it plans to go in at its next meeting in August. A date for when residents would vote on a proposal has not been set.