On Tuesday, June 7, 2016, voters in all of the school districts of the Chittenden South Supervisory Union (CSSU) voted to approve forming a Unified District, which will be known as the Champlain Valley School District. Votes held by Australian ballot, and counted separately in Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston resulted in the bringing together of the governance of CSSU schools into one system.

This new governance structure will become fully operational July 1, 2017. During the year of transition, a newly formed board will begin working on the budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. A single budget for the operations of a coordinated PK-12 system will be presented to voters on Town Meeting Day in March of 2017. On July 1, 2017, the seven boards of CSSU will be replaced with one 12-member board overseeing the unified district, with one blended tax rate adjusted for Common Level of Appraisal in each town.

The Act 46 Study Committee is encouraged by the support of its communities and looks forward to the educational excellence and opportunities for efficiencies that this merger provides. When the State Board of Education approved CSSU’s Act 46 proposal for merging school governance at its April 19th meeting it set the path for the June 7th vote. By meeting the state’s July 1, 2016 deadline for maximizing state financial incentives, the education tax rates will be adjusted for a credit of 10 cents the first year of a shared budget, and decrease $.02 a year until they expire. In addition the state will make available a grant of $150,000.00 to help pay for transition costs.