2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 16 - Education › Chapter 11 - Union School Districts › § 707. Approval of study budget; appointment of study committee; participation

§ 707. Approval of study budget; appointment of study committee; participation
(a) Proposed budget exceeding $50,000.00.
(1) If the proposed budget established in section 706 of this chapter exceeds $50,000.00, then subject to the provisions of that section the board of each potentially participating school district shall warn the district’s voters to meet at an annual or special school district meeting to vote whether to appropriate funds necessary to support the district’s financial share of a study committee’s costs. The meeting in each school district shall be warned for the same date. The warning in each school district shall contain an identical article in substantially the following form:
(2) If the vote in subdivision (1) of this subsection is in the affirmative in two or more school districts, then the boards of the affirming school districts shall appoint a study committee consisting of the number of persons determined pursuant to section 706 (proposed study committee budget and membership) of this chapter. At least one current board member from each participating school district shall be appointed to the study committee. The board of a school district appointing more than one person to the study committee may appoint residents of the school district who are not members of the board to any of the remaining seats.
(3) The sums expended for study purposes under this section shall be considered part of the approved cost of any project in which the union school district, if created, participates pursuant to chapter 123 of this title.
(b) Proposed budget not exceeding $50,000.00.
(1) If the proposed budget established in section 706 of this chapter does not exceed $50,000.00, then the boards of the participating school districts shall appoint a study committee consisting of the number of persons determined under that section. At least one current board member from each participating school district shall be appointed to the study committee. The board of a school district appointing more than one person to the study committee may appoint residents of the school district who are not members of the board to any of the remaining seats.
(2) The sums expended for study purposes under this section shall be considered part of the approved cost of any project in which the union school district, if created, participates pursuant to chapter 123 of this title.
(c) Additional costs.
(1) If the voters approve a budget that exceeds $50,000.00 but the study committee later determines that its budget is likely to exceed the projected, voter-approved amount, then the boards of all participating school districts shall obtain voter approval for the amounts exceeding the previously approved budget in the manner set forth in subdivision (a)(1) of this section before the study committee obligates or expends sums in excess of the initial voter-approved amount.
(2) If a proposed budget does not exceed $50,000.00 at the time the school boards appoint members to the study committee, but the study committee later determines that its total budget is likely to exceed $50,000.00, then the boards of all participating school districts shall obtain voter approval for the amounts exceeding $50,000.00 in the manner set forth in subdivision (a)(1) of this section before the study committee obligates or expends funds in excess of $50,000.00.
(d) Grants. Costs to be paid by State, federal, or private grants shall not be included when calculating whether a study committee’s budget or proposed budget exceeds $50,000.00.
(e) Subsequent appointments of persons to the study committee; vacancy.
(1) Subject to the requirement that each school board appoint at least one current member of the board, the board of a participating school district shall appoint a person residing in the school district to the study committee if one of the school district’s seats is vacant because a study committee member:
(A) is no longer a member of the school district’s board and was the sole board member appointed by that school district;
(B) has resigned from or is no longer able to serve on the study committee; or
(C) has not attended three consecutive study committee meetings without providing notice to the study committee chair of the reason for each absence and obtaining a determination of the study committee members that the absences were reasonable.
(2) Notice under subdivision (1)(C) of this subsection shall be given in advance of absences whenever possible.
(f) Formal participation in study committee.
(1) A school district shall not be a formal participant in and appoint members to more than one study committee created under this chapter at any one point in time.
(2) A school district shall not formally withdraw its participation in an existing study committee after the school district has appointed members to that committee until the study committee dissolves pursuant to subsection 708(e) of this chapter.
(g) Additional formal participants.
(1) Subject to the provisions of subsection (f) of this section, a school district may join as an additional formal participant in a study committee after creation of the committee if:
(A) the school district’s board has requested the committee’s approval to participate after either a vote of the school district’s board or a petition by five percent of the school district’s voters and if the study committee votes to approve formal participation by the district; or
(B) the study committee has voted to ask the school district to participate formally and either the board of the school district votes to approve formal participation or is petitioned by five percent of the school district’s voters to do so.
(2) A school district that becomes a formal participant in an existing study committee pursuant to this subsection is subject to the provisions of section 706 (proposed study committee budget and membership) of this chapter regarding financial and representational proportionality and to all other requirements of study committees set out in this chapter.
(h) Informal participation by other school districts.
(1) The board of a school district that is not a formal participant in an existing study committee may authorize one or more of the board’s members to contact the study committee to discuss whether it may be advisable to include the school district within a proposal to form a new union school district as an “advisable” district, as described in section 708 (necessary and advisable districts) of this chapter.
(2) An existing study committee may authorize one or more of its members to contact the board of one or more additional school districts that are not formal participants in the committee to discuss whether it may be advisable to include the school district within a proposal to form a new union school district as an “advisable” district.
(3) An existing study committee may invite representatives of a nonparticipating school district’s board to participate informally in the study committee’s deliberations.
(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the board of a school district from authorizing informal exploration between and among the boards of school districts prior to the formation of a study committee. (Added 2021, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 7, 2022.)