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1. Doing Whatever
It Takes to
Ensure Success
For Every Child
Why Act 46
Makes Sense
for Barre City
and Barre Town
Barre Supervisory Union
120 Ayers Street, Barre VT 05641
 802.476.5011 |  bsuvt.org
Committee Members
Barre City
Guliano Checchinelli  gcecchinelli@bsu61.org  479-3109
Paul Cook  pcook56@live.com  989-3018
Michael Deering  mdeering@bsu61.org  522-1364
Ed Rousse  erousse@bsu61.org  272-3088
Jessica Vest  jvest717@gmail.com  595-2895
Barre Town
Gina Akley  gina.akley@gmail.com  522-3926
Marcia Biondolillo  marcia.b@raveis.com  272-8708
Jeff Blow  jeffblow70@yahoo.com  839-0486
Guy Isabelle  gisabelle@bsu61.org  229-8159
Rebecca Kerin-Hutchins  rkerinhutchins@bsu61.org  280-5940
Michaela Martin  mmartin@cvsu.org  433-5818
Kim Whitcomb  kwhitcombinvt@gmail.com  272-6599

2. Barre City and Barre Town Act 46 FAQs Frequently Asked
Questions
What is Act 46?
Act 46 is a state law that aims to improve the quality
of education. Like it or not, it exists. The Act’s primary
mechanism for improving the quality of education
is merging school districts to cut costs and better
serve students. If Barre City and Barre Town merge voluntarily,
the state will give both communities tax incentives for the next
four years. The window of opportunity to merge voluntarily is
closing, and we feel that taxpayers deserve another chance to
vote on a merger and get the tax incentives that come with it.
Why is this vote different?
We have significantly revised the Articles of Agree-
ment that will govern the new district to address
the concerns that drove some voters to vote down
the merger twice before. In the new Articles:
• Schools will not consolidate or close
• No student will have to attend school outside of their town
• Elementary schools will not be merging
• Each school will maintain a separate principal
and separate daily operations
Will my community have equal
representation on the school board?
Yes. Barre Town and Barre City will each have
four representatives on the school board, and
one representative will be voted on by both
communities, for a total of nine board members.
Will the state add other schools to our
district once we’ve voted to merge?
No, if we merge voluntarily the state cannot
add any other schools to the district.
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How do I know these things won’t
change once a merger is complete?
The committee has structured the merger plan and the
voting ballot warning so that these things cannot
be changed without a public vote.
Is a merger financially fair
to both communities?
While there is some financial disparity between
the Barre Town and Barre City school districts,
it is relatively small compared to many other
districts that have merged, and over the past two
years the disparity has decreased. In addition, the projected
tax savings due to state incentives and operational efficiencies
estimate a savings of almost $2.5 million for each town.
What happens if we vote “No”?
If we do not merge voluntarily, the Vermont
Board of Education will decide whether to
merge us involuntarily by November 30, and all
of the information we have so far indicates they
will do so. If this happens, we will lose the tax
incentives offered by the state and we will have to
live by the state’s recently published Articles of Agreement, which
do not preserve the protections that are important to voters.
Has the state made any exceptions to Act 46?
Yes, there have been districts that cannot practically be merged
with other districts due to geography or other complicating
factors. However, due to their proximity and similarities the
Barre districts do not meet those exception criteria.
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Equal
representation
on school
board
A YES vote =
no merging
or closing
of schools
Act 46
is law
Yes =
$5 million
in tax
incentives.
No = $0
The state
has indicated
it will require
us to merge.