Act 170: Vermont's Public Education Transformation
What is Vermont Act 170?
Act 170 is Vermont's roadmap for the next phase of public education reform. Rather than immediately requiring schools to merge or close, the law creates a structured process for school districts to work together, study regional options, and determine how to provide high-quality educational opportunities while attempting to make the best use of taxpayer dollars.
At its core, Act 170 is built around several key goals:
- Maintain strong local elementary schools whenever possible while supporting regional middle and high schools that can offer broader academic, career, and technical education opportunities.
- Encourage districts to share services—such as special education, transportation, technology, business services, and professional development—through new regional organizations called Cooperative Educational Service Areas (CESAs) to reduce duplication and improve efficiency.
- Require every school district to participate in a regional planning process. Beginning in 2026, districts must participate in merger committees that will study whether creating larger unified school districts would benefit students and communities. These committees will engage the public, analyze costs and educational impacts, and make recommendations regarding consolidation, including proposed articles of agreement, to the Secretary of Education and the State Board of Education. The mandatory merger study committees are comprised of appointed School Board members from the participating districts.
- Protect educational quality and rural communities. The law recognizes that geography matters in Vermont and that school consolidation decisions should balance efficiency with transportation, community identity, and equitable opportunities for students. The law includes additional provisions for the State Board of Education to establish criteria for identifying schools as small or located in sparsely populated areas by necessity.
- Continue improving Vermont's education funding system. Act 170 calls for additional studies and future legislative action on topics including school funding, prekindergarten, transportation, special education, and support for small rural schools before major funding changes take effect.
- Regional [tax] Assessment Districts are to be created so that properties on grand lists are regularly reappraised, property data collection is consistent and standardized across the State, and property valuation is conducted by trained and certified individuals and firms.
In simple terms: Act 170 does not redraw school district boundaries today. Instead, it creates a statewide process for communities to evaluate how schools are organized, encourages more regional collaboration, and gives lawmakers additional information before deciding on future changes to Vermont's education system.
Upcoming Public Meetings:
There will be an organizational meeting of the Winooski Valley Cooperative Educational Service Area (CESA) on July 29, 2026, starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Spaulding High School Library, 155 Ayers St., Barre.
Remote Options:
Meeting ID: https://meet.google.com/
Phone: (US)+1 413-370-4213; PIN: 551 694 113#
Act 170 - District Consolidation: https://www.
buusd.org/district/act-170- district-consolidation Winooski Valley CESA webpage: https://www.buusd.
org/district/act-170-district- consolidation/winooski-valley- cooperative-ed[...]udy Meeting Agenda: https://resources.
finalsite.net/images/ v1784825883/bsuvtorg/ zildtwv0znkhiuelr7zr/2026-07- 29-[...]pdf
Act 170: Two Distinct Conversations
Lamoille North's Role in Study Committee Group 15
Under Vermont Act 170, Lamoille North Modified Unified Union School District (LNMUUSD) and the Cambridge Elementary School District have been assigned, through Act 170, to Merger Study Committee Group 15. This committee is one of the suggested study groupings established in the law and is responsible for evaluating the advisability of forming a larger unified union school district(s). The committee's role is to study options, engage the public, and make recommendations; it does not have the authority to merge districts or make binding decisions. These study committees are comprised of appointed School Board members from each participating district.
Group 15 Members
| District | Communities Served | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge School District | Cambridge | Operates Cambridge Elementary School PreK-6. Students progress to Lamoille Union Middle and High School through the existing Lamoille North structure. |
| Craftsbury School District | Craftsbury | Operates Craftsbury Schools, a small rural PreK–12 district that serves students within the town. |
| Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District (EMUUUSD) | Morristown & Elmore | Includes Morristown Elementary School, Peoples Academy Middle Level, and Peoples Academy High School. |
| Hazen Union School District | Greensboro and member towns | Operates Hazen Union School, serving middle and high school students from several Northeast Kingdom communities. |
| Lamoille North Modified Unified Union School District (LNMUUSD) | Cambridge, Eden, Hyde Park, Johnson, Waterville, Belvidere | Includes Cambridge, Eden, Hyde Park, Johnson, and Waterville elementary schools PreK-6, along with Lamoille Union Middle School, Lamoille Union High School, and Green Mountain Technology & Career Center. |
| Mountain View Union Elementary School District | Eden, Johnson, Waterville (Elementary governance) | The existing union elementary district serving these communities. It remains a separate legal district and is listed independently in Act 170. |
| Stannard Town School District | Stannard | A tuitioning district without its own school that sends students to neighboring districts. |
| Stowe School District | Stowe | Operates Stowe Elementary School, Stowe Middle School, and Stowe High School. |
| Wolcott School District | Wolcott | Operates Wolcott Elementary School. Wolcott tuitions grades 9-12; students typically attend Hazen Union, Lamoille Union, and Stowe High School for secondary education. |
Lamoille North's Role in the Winooski Valley Cooperative Educational Service Area (CESA)
Under Vermont Act 170, Lamoille North Supervisory Union has been assigned to the newly established Winooski Valley Cooperative Educational Service Area (CESA). Rather than creating a new school district or changing where students attend school, the CESA serves as a regional partnership of neighboring supervisory unions and school districts who will work together to share services, expertise, and planning.
Who is in the Winooski Valley CESA?
Lamoille North is one of several supervisory unions and unified school districts participating in the Winooski Valley CESA:
- Barre Unified Union SD
- Harwood Unified Union SD
- Lamoille North SU
- Lamoille South SU
- Montpelier Roxbury SD
- Orange Southwest UUSD
- Orleans Southwest SU
- Washington Central UUSD
- White River Valley SU
- Central Vermont SU
What does this mean for Lamoille North?
Membership in the CESA does not merge districts or close schools. Instead, Lamoille North will participate in a regional organization designed to help districts collaborate where it makes sense while maintaining local governance over schools.
As a member of the Winooski Valley CESA, Lamoille North will:
- Help govern the regional CESA by appointing a representative to the CESA Board.
- Work collaboratively with neighboring districts to identify opportunities to share programs, expertise, and services.
- Participate in regional planning discussions about long-term educational sustainability and efficiency.
- Maintain local control over its schools and school boards unless future, separate decisions are made through the merger study process.
What kinds of services could be shared?
Act 170 envisions CESAs serving as regional providers of services that individual districts may choose to utilize. These include:
- Special education services
- Business and financial services
- Information technology support
- Professional development for educators
- Transportation coordination
- Curriculum development and instructional support
- Facilities planning
- Assistance with any future district merger discussions, if requested by member districts
Importantly, these services are intended to complement, not replace, the work already happening within member districts.
How does this affect students and families?
For Lamoille North families, the immediate impact is expected to be minimal.
Students will continue attending the same schools, local school boards will continue governing district operations, and day-to-day educational programming remains the responsibility of Lamoille North. The CESA is primarily an administrative and collaborative partnership, not a new school district. Its purpose is to help districts work together where doing so can improve educational opportunities, reduce duplication of services, and make more efficient use of taxpayer resources.
Lamoille North's role moving forward
As a member of the Winooski Valley CESA, Lamoille North will have a seat at the table in shaping how regional collaboration develops. District leaders and board representatives will participate in discussions about shared services, regional priorities, and future opportunities while continuing to advocate for the unique needs of Lamoille North students, staff, and communities.
Any future changes to district governance or organization would occur through separate study and public decision-making processes established under Act 170, not simply because Lamoille North belongs to the Winooski Valley CESA.
ACT 170 Timeline
