WINDHAM, Vt. (WCAX) – Voters in Windham will gather Saturday morning to decide the fate of their tiny K-6 elementary school.
The Windham Elementary School has been closed for months due to staffing shortages. The school, which had a little more than a dozen students before closing late last year, has been at the center of a lawsuit on education equity. Those behind the suit– which was filed last year– say the school was not meeting their kids’ needs emotionally, socially, or academically.
The students are now being tuitioned to another elementary school the next town over as Windham decides whether to reopen. Those who support the school say it brings the community together. Kord Scott drives a bus for the district. “At one point I was very concerned about it because I felt it was a good community fixture and I felt it was better to have it here than not. At this point, the kids that were going to the school were going down to Townshend and they seem to be doing ok for the time being,” he said.
His main concern is passing a scaled-down school budget, which includes the money to pay tuition. The previous budget vote on Town Meeting Day failed.
We spoke with several other people in town who either declined an on-camera interview or were unavailable. Some were adamant that the district move on so that the kids could have more opportunities.
The floor vote will take place at the Windham Meeting House at 10 a.m. Saturday. All registered voters are encouraged to make their voices heard.