UPDATED: Education board sharpens scrutiny of school merger proposals

State Board of Education member John O’Keefe. Photo by Bob LoCiceroAs key deadlines approach, school districts are pitching an assortment of last-ditch merger proposals to the Vermont State Board of Education.
Many of the plans were put together after the Legislature gave districts more leeway.But as districts take advantage of the new flexibility under the latest version of the school consolidation law, Act 49, the Board of Education is becoming more rigid in its assessments of merger pro