Last March, a lawyer representing Stowe in its efforts to withdraw from the merged Lamoille South Unified Union School District predicted that if the town voted to leave the district,
Editor s Note
This is the first part in a series exploring the myriad issues surrounding Stoweâs attempts to withdraw from the Lamoille South school district.
There are more questions than answers about what would happen if Stowe residents vote May 11 to leave the Lamoille South school district, including whether such a vote is even legal.
A letter from the Vermont Agency of Education sent last week to Stowe officials concludes that, while a Vermont town that voted to form a merged school district can vote to withdraw, this is not the case with districts that were forced by the state to merge.
Stowe, Morristown and Elmore were forced by the state to merge into one school district two years ago, but that doesnât mean Stowe residents canât vote to leave.
At least thatâs the opinion of Stoweâs legal counsel, who said the decision is in votersâ hands.
Attorney Nina Atwood â of the firm Stitzel Page & Fletcher â last week wrote in a legal opinion that the Vermont Agency of Education has not taken a formal position on whether towns in forced mergers can vote to leave them. But, she said, the governing bylaws of the Lamoille South district permit any of the three towns to seek a withdrawal after two years of merger.