Title 16, Title 16: Education

§ 716. Transition to full operations (a) Operational date. The operational date of a union school district is the July 1 next following the date on which the voters vote to approve formation of the district, unless the voter-approved articles of agreement establish a different da…

§ 717. Dissolution, reorganization, and discontinuation of forming districts (a) Unified union school district; dissolution of forming districts. On its operational date, a unified union school district shall supplant all forming districts and the forming districts shall cease to…

§ 718. Transfer of real property to town in which it is located If the original voter-approved articles of agreement require sale of real property to the town in which the property is located and the sale is scheduled to occur after the operational date, or if after the operation…

§ 719. Supervisory union; supervisory district (a) The State Board shall assign each union school district formed under this chapter to a supervisory union for administrative, educational, and planning services, effective on the day on which the union school district becomes a bo…

§ 721. Joining an existing union school district (a) Action initiated by district outside the union school district. (1) After preliminary study, if the board of a school district determines that it would be advisable to join an existing union school district, then the board of t…

§ 722. Amendments to articles of agreement (a) The union school district voters. Only the voters of a union school district may amend a specific condition or agreement in the district’s articles of agreement if the condition or agreement was set forth as a distinct subsection in …

§ 723. Decision to vote by Australian ballot (a) If a union school district’s articles of agreement do not provide that the election of board members or district officers, budget votes, or votes on other public questions shall proceed by Australian ballot, then the voters of a un…

§ 724. Withdrawal from or dissolution of a unified union school district (a) Definition. As used in this section, “petitioning town” means the town within a unified union school district that seeks to withdraw from the union district pursuant to the provisions of this section. (b…

§ 725. Withdrawal from or dissolution of a union elementary or union high school district (a) Definitions. As used in this section: (1) “Petitioning district” means: (A) a member district of a union elementary or union high school district that seeks to withdraw from the union di…

§ 729. Board members; term; conduct of meetings; quorum and voting; powers and duties (a) Members. Except as set forth in subchapter 2 (exploration, formation, and organization) of this chapter for initial members, each member of the board of a unified union school district shall…

§ 730. Unified union school district board members; nomination and election; bond (a) If by Australian ballot. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to a unified union school district that conducts elections for board membership by Australian ballot. (1) Proportional to t…

§ 731. Vacancy on unified union school district board (a) Filling a vacancy. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, this section shall apply to a vacancy on a unified union school district board, unless otherwise provided in the articles of agreement of the d…

§ 732. Unified union school district budget; preparation and authorization (a) The board of a unified union school district shall prepare and distribute a proposed budget annually for the next school year pursuant to the provisions of subdivision 563(11) (powers of school boards;…

§ 733. Annual report; data (a) The board of a unified union school district shall prepare an annual report concerning the affairs of the district and have it printed and distributed to the voters of the district pursuant to the provisions of subdivision 563(10) (school districts;…

§ 735. Officers; election; term; vacancy; bond (a) Officers. At an annual meeting of the unified union school district, the voters shall elect a moderator from among the registered voters of the district. The voters shall also vote to elect a clerk and a treasurer of the district…

§ 736. Officers; powers, duties, and liabilities (a) Moderator. The powers, duties, and liabilities of the moderator of a unified union school district shall be the same as those of a moderator of a town school district. The moderator shall preside at each annual and special meet…

§ 737. Warnings of unified union school district meetings (a) The board of a unified union school district shall have the same authority and obligation to warn or call meetings of the district as a town school board has to warn or call town school district meetings. (b) Except as…

§ 738. Checklist for union district meetings where voting is conducted from the floor (a) Not later than the close of business on the day before an annual or special meeting of a unified union school district, the town clerk of each town within the district shall furnish to the d…

§ 739. Conduct of vote if by Australian ballot For any vote that proceeds by Australian ballot in a unified union school district: (1) A district voter shall vote by Australian ballot in the town in which the voter currently resides at the polling location identified in the warni…

§ 740. Preparation and form of Australian ballot (a) The clerk of a unified union school district shall prepare the ballot for any vote that proceeds by Australian ballot in the district. (b) Only questions warned by the unified union school district and presented to the voters o…

§ 741. Counting of Australian ballots (a) Process. (1) At least two members of the board of civil authority of each town within a unified union school district, or two election officials appointed by the board of civil authority of that town, shall transport ballots cast in the t…

§ 742. Commingling and reporting of all votes cast by Australian Ballot and from the floor (a) Commingling. Votes cast by the voters of a unified union school district shall be commingled, whether cast by Australian ballot or from the floor, and shall not be counted according to …

§ 743. Bond issues; debt limit (a) A unified union school district may make improvements, as defined by 24 V.S.A. § 1751 (municipal and county government; indebtedness definitions), and may incur indebtedness for improvements as provided in 24 V.S.A. chapter 53, subchapter 1 (mun…

§ 745. Definitions As used in this subchapter, words have the meaning as defined in section 702 (definitions) of this title and any words not defined in that section have their plain meaning, except: (1) Member district. “Member district” means either a town school district that …

§ 747. Board members; term; conduct of meetings; quorum and voting; powers and duties (a) Members. Except as set forth in subchapter 2 (exploration, formation, and organization) of this chapter for initial members, each member of the board of a union elementary school or union hi…

§ 748. Union elementary and union high school district board members; nomination and election; bond (a) If by Australian ballot. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to a union elementary or union high school district that conducts elections for board membership by Austr…

§ 749. Vacancy on union elementary or union high school district board (a) Filling a vacancy. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, this section shall apply to a vacancy on a union elementary or union high school district board, unless otherwise provided in…

§ 750. Union elementary or union high school district budget; preparation and authorization (a) The board of a union elementary or union high school district shall prepare and distribute a proposed budget annually for the next school year pursuant to the provisions of subdivision…

§ 751. Annual report; data (a) The board of a union elementary or union high school district shall prepare an annual report concerning the affairs of the district and have it printed and distributed to the voters of the district pursuant to the provisions of subdivision 563(10) (…

§ 753. Officers; election; term; vacancy; bond (a) Officers. At an annual meeting of the union elementary or union high school district, the voters shall elect a moderator from among the registered voters. The voters shall also vote to elect a clerk and a treasurer of the distric…

§ 754. Officers; powers, duties, and liabilities (a) Moderator. The powers, duties, and liabilities of the moderator of a union elementary or union high school district shall be the same as those of a moderator of a town school district. The moderator shall preside at each annual…

§ 755. Warnings of union elementary and union high school district meetings (a) The board of a union elementary or union high school district shall have the same authority and obligation to warn or call meetings of the district as a town school board has to warn or call town scho…

§ 756. Union district meetings conducted from the floor (a) Not later than the close of business on the day before the meeting, the town clerk of each member district of a union elementary or union high school district shall furnish to the union district clerk, at the expense of …

§ 757. Conduct of vote if by Australian ballot In any vote that proceeds by Australian ballot in a union elementary or union high school district: (1) A district voter shall vote by Australian ballot in the town in which the voter currently resides at the polling location identif…

§ 758. Preparation and form of Australian ballot (a) The clerk of a union elementary or union high school district shall prepare the ballot for any vote that proceeds by Australian ballot in the union school district. (b) Only questions warned by the union elementary or union hig…

§ 759. Counting and reporting results of vote by Australian ballot (a) Process if commingled. If the voters have approved the commingling of votes cast by Australian ballot for any or all categories of public questions, including elections and budget votes, or if Vermont law requ…

§ 760. Bond issues; debt limit (a) A union elementary or union high school district may make improvements, as defined by 24 V.S.A. § 1751, and may incur indebtedness for the improvements as provided in 24 V.S.A. chapter 53, subchapter 1. (b) The debt limit of the union elementary…

§ 763. Ratification; articles of agreement; application of chapter (a) Each union school district in existence on July 1, 2022, is ratified and subject to the provisions of this chapter 11, regardless of whether the district was formed by an affirmative vote of the electorate or …

§ 764. Secretary of State; recording certificates (a) To ensure that documentary evidence relating to the creation of union school districts can be found in one location, the Secretary of Education shall forward to the Secretary of State copies of the certifications designating t…

§ 771. General provisions—Article I A. Statement of policy. It is the purpose of this compact to increase the educational opportunities within the states of New Hampshire and Vermont by encouraging the formation of interstate school districts which will each be a natural social a…

§ 772. Procedure for formation of an interstate school district — Article II A. Creation of Planning Committee. The New Hampshire and Vermont commissioners of education shall have the power, acting jointly to constitute and discharge one or more interstate school district plannin…

§ 773. Powers of interstate school districts—Article III A. Powers. Each interstate school district shall be a body corporate and politic, with power: a. To acquire, construct, extend, improve, staff, operate, manage and govern public schools within its boundaries; b. To sue and …

§ 774. District meetings—Article IV A. General. Votes of the district shall be taken at a duly warned meeting held at any place in the district, at which all of the eligible legal voters of the member districts shall be entitled to vote, except as otherwise provided with respect …

§ 775. Officers—Article V A. Officers: General. The officers of an interstate school district shall be a board of school directors, a chairman of the board, a vice-chairman of the board, a secretary of the board, a moderator, a clerk, a treasurer and three auditors. Except as oth…

§ 776. Appropriation and apportionment of funds—Article VI A. Budget. Before each annual meeting, the interstate board shall prepare a report of expenditures for the preceding fiscal year, an estimate of expenditures for the current fiscal year, and a budget for the succeeding fi…

§ 777. Borrowing—Article VII A. Interstate District Indebtedness. Indebtedness of an interstate district shall be a general obligation of the district and shall also be a joint and several general obligation of each member district, except that such obligations of the district an…