LMH exits Green Mountain merger group; First Group 7 meeting Oct. 13 Zoom failed, notes from LMHUUSD meeting 'recycled'

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Last Friday, the Vermont Learning Collaborative released the finalized groupings for merger study committees with only one district requesting to be moved. That district is Ludlow-Mount Holly, which has been allowed to switch from Group 7 (with Green Mountain, Springfield and Rockingham among others) to Group 3, which consists of school districts in Bennington and Rutland counties including Taconic and Green, home to Flood Brook Elementary in Londonderry.

Also released were the standards by which good/bad faith participation will be judged

The Ludlow-Mount Holly move reduces the student population of Group 7 from 3,087 to 2,768 and increases Group 3 from 2,792 to 3,111, changes of 319 students.

The board of LMH Unified Union School District has been exploring a move to Group 3  which would allow it to continue to offer school choice. It is likely that Group 7 won’t have the option to offer school choice.

Public meeting records said to have been ‘recycled’

On Sept. 22 the LMHUUSD board held a special meeting to discuss moving its district to Group 3. Minutes from that 52-minute long meeting only refer to the fact that there was a “discussion” but it offers no detail other than the vote to move to Group 3 was unanimous. The Telegraph asked to see the recording of the meeting but was told in an email from Two Rivers Supervisory Union that the “Zoom failed to record that meeting, so we only have meeting minutes based on the notes of those in attendance.” Such notes are a public record.

On Monday, The Telegraph requested copies of those notes and was told they had been recycled and that no other copies exist. According to the Vermont Public Records Act, 1VSA 320(c), that act of recycling was illegal: “A person who willfully destroys, gives away, sells, discards, or damages a public record without having authority to do so shall be fined at least $50.00 but not more than $1,000.00 for each offense.” In Vermont, public records are considered permanent record unless:

• It is explicitly authorized by a specific state law.
• It follows an official Record Schedule approved by the State Archivist.

What’s good faith; what’s bad faith?

Act 170 mandates that the districts participate in the merger study groups in good faith, but the Vermont Legislature did not define either good faith or bad faith. This left the job up to the facilitators, who put together a Good Faith Participation Standard.

Examples of good faith participation include:

• appointing representation as required;
• maintaining active participation in committee meetings and activities;
• sharing updates with local district board members and community;
• engaging in the committee’s consideration of information, questions, options, and proposals;
• providing available district information necessary for the committee’s work; and
• participating in decisions and steps necessary for the committee to complete its statutory responsibilities.

Disagreement, criticism, opposition to merger, advocacy for a preferred outcome, missing a meeting or a procedural dispute don’t constitute bad faith.

What does constitute bad faith is a pattern of standing in the way of the process of studying the advisability of a merger. According to the standard, “Examples that may support a bad faith determination include repeated refusal to provide necessary and available information following specific requests; repeated failure to respond or participate when doing so prevents required work from being completed; or repeated conduct that significantly disrupts or prevents the committee from conducting its work. No single example, standing alone, establishes bad faith.”

The standard allows for notice and an opportunity to address a bad faith determination.

A district that receives a bad faith determination would be ineligible for state aid for debts incurred for voter approved building or renovation projects before 2025. This would be a substantial problem as the state moves toward a foundation formula to put limits on school funding. According to the Agency of Education, such districts would have to levy supplemental taxes to cover their debt.

First Group 7 meeting scheduled 

The first meeting for the merger study group that includes GMUSD and Springfield has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the Universal Room at Bellows Falls High School, 406 High School Road in Bellows Falls, and remotely via Zoom.   See the agenda here. 

The public will be able to comment in person or remotely and by written comments submitted to be read aloud during the meeting. Speakers will be limited to two minutes. In general, the committee will not be responding to comments. Meetings are designed to take no more than two hours.  Meeting agendas, minutes, and meeting recording links will be housed on the websites of participating districts.

Superintendents and district board members who are present but not appointed to the committee will be regarded as members of the public for the purposes of these meetings. No special privileges of participation will be granted unless the committee specifically requests engagement.

The first meeting for Group 3 — which includes Ludlow and Mount Holly — will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Equinox Valley Middle School, 80 Memorial Ave. in Manchester Center.