Act 170 of 2026
Act 170 is a Vermont law passed in 2026. It began as House bill H.955 and the Governor signed it on June 18, 2026. Among other things, it requires every school district in Vermont to join a merger committee that studies whether to join with nearby districts.
This page covers the parts of the law that apply to this committee. The full text of Act 170 is on the Legislature’s website. Section 13 is the part about merger committees.
What the law asks of our three districts
Section 14 of the law suggests which districts should study together. It puts Burlington School District, South Burlington School District, and Winooski in Group 18. The state’s facilitators confirmed that group on September 25, 2026.
Each school board had to name at least one of its own members to the committee by September 15, 2026. Only sitting school board members may serve. If a member leaves their board, the board names someone new.
The committee must study whether it would be “advisable” or “inadvisable” to form a unified union school district. That is one school district, with one school board, that runs the schools for all the towns in it. Today each of our three cities has its own district and its own board.
The committee does not decide whether to merge. It makes a recommendation. Voters decide.
What the committee’s report must include
By September 1, 2027, the committee must send a final report to all three school boards, the Secretary of Education, and the State Board of Education. Under Section 13(b)(4) of the law, the report must include:
- the districts that took part;
- the strengths and challenges of how each district is run today;
- the committee’s recommendation: whether forming a new district is advisable or not;
- how the recommendation would help the districts run well, be open and accountable, and give every student an equal chance at an excellent education, at a cost that parents, voters, and taxpayers value;
- how every student would get access to career and technical education; and
- if the committee does not agree, an analysis of the minority view.
The law also asks the committee to look at whether a new district could run local elementary schools, central middle schools, and full regional high schools.
If the committee recommends a merger, it also writes articles of agreement. That is the founding plan for the new district, including how its school board would be chosen.
Who helps the committee
The law created seven regional facilitators, hired by the Vermont Learning Collaborative, to run merger committee meetings across the state. Our region’s facilitator is Craig Aarons-Martin. The facilitator runs the meetings and stays neutral on whether a merger is a good idea. The committee elects its own chair. Nicole Mace, from the Winooski School Board, is the chair.
The Agency of Education provides data and staff help when the committee asks.
Good faith
The law says each district must take part “in good faith.” The state’s facilitators wrote a Good Faith Participation Standard to explain what that means. In short: show up, share information, and let the study happen. Good faith does not require anyone to support a merger. Members may oppose a merger and vote no.
What happens after the report
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| By September 1, 2027 | The committee sends its final report. |
| Within 30 days of the report, and no later than December 1, 2027 | The Secretary of Education reviews any proposed merger and makes a recommendation to the State Board of Education. |
| By December 15, 2027 | The State Board of Education issues its findings on each proposed merger. |
| March 7, 2028 (Town Meeting Day) | If the committee proposed a merger, voters in each district named in the plan vote on it. |
| By July 1, 2029 | If voters approve, the new district takes over, starting with the 2029 to 2030 school year. |
How a vote would work
If the committee recommends a merger, its plan names each district as either “necessary” or “advisable” to the new district.
- The new district forms only if voters in every “necessary” district vote yes.
- An “advisable” district joins only if its own voters vote yes.
That rule is in 16 V.S.A. § 713(b). If the plan names all three of our districts as necessary, then all three must vote yes for a merger to happen.
What the law does not do
- It does not merge any district by itself. Voters decide.
- It does not require the committee to recommend a merger.
If the committee finds a merger inadvisable, its members may vote to end the committee. Districts may then form other study committees under existing state law.
Section 13a lets a district that has not merged by July 1, 2028 propose joining a nearby union school district later. Its voters must approve, and the Legislature must then pass the proposal.
Section 13b says that a town may not leave a union school district through fiscal year 2035. If our districts merged, that rule would apply to the new district.
Other parts of Act 170
Act 170 does more than set up merger committees. For example, it creates regional Cooperative Educational Service Areas (CESAs), which let districts share services such as purchasing and training. Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski are all in the Chittenden Central CESA, along with Colchester and Essex Westford. The CESA is separate from this committee and does not decide on mergers. See how this committee differs from the CESA.
Sources
- Act 170 of 2026, as enacted, especially Sections 13, 13a, 13b, and 14
- H.955 bill history
- Agency of Education: Education Transformation
- 16 V.S.A. § 713
- Vermont Learning Collaborative: resources for merger committees
Last updated October 27, 2026.