ORFORD — After more than two hours of debate, Rivendell voters approved a $15.8 million school budget, but defeated an article that would have moved future budget votes to an all-day Australian ballot format.

When a voice vote on the operating budget proved indecisive, moderator David Hooke called for a show of hands, resulting in a 148-123 vote in favor of the article. 

This year’s budget is a 3.3% increase from last year’s $15.3 million budget. 

School Board Chairman Mark Avery, of Fairlee, attributed the rise to a boost in teachers’ salaries, the cost of health benefits, which rose by 12% this year, and “the inflation that we’ve all experienced.”

Estimates published by the district show education tax rates decreasing by 5.4% from last year for Fairlee and 2.1% for West Fairlee.

Orford’s tax rate is expected to increase 5% over last year with Vershire’s rate rising by 2.2%.

Some district residents expressed opposition to teacher pay raises but on that point, Avery was adamant. 

“Our teachers start at $45,000 per year. I think that is insulting,” he told the audience, to applause. “I believe six percent is warranted for every teacher out there.”

The Rivendell board has faced public pressure over the past few years to shift to Australian balloting for the school budget.

Currently, only school officers are elected by Australian ballot.

In ballot voting last Tuesday, voters elected four people to three-year terms on the School Board: Moriah Ludwig, representing Fairlee; Terry W. Martin, of Orford; Sarah Zwikelmaier, of West Fairlee; and Lillian G. Gahagan, at-large. None of the races were contested.

All other articles are voted from the floor.

The board was split on the issue of increasing the district’s reliance on Australian balloting, with Avery casting the deciding vote to bring the question to voters this year, he said.

“Ultimately, it is democratic. It is proven that you get more people voting with Australian balloting, and that was the prevailing argument,” he said. 

Some residents worried that all-day balloting would diminish the impact of the in-person meeting. 

“You lose a big chunk of participatory democracy,” with a move away from floor voting, Orford resident Jon Sands said after the vote. “It’s difficult and messy, but it’s democracy.”

By a 142-80 count, 64% of voters favored the article, however, the change failed to pass because it fell just short of the required two-thirds majority. 

Anxieties over the impact of national political unrest on the district cropped up at the annual meeting. 

Seann Cran, of Vershire, brought up the potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and how it could affect Vermont school districts, particularly when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion programming.  

“What if they say that if you have any DEI books in your library the FBI is going to come investigate you? Those concerns are not unfounded,” he said.

Avery said that the Trump administration “does not seem to take equity as its first priority.” Potential funding cuts could hamper the district’s ability to provide an equitable education for vulnerable students, including “English-as-a-second-language speakers, and  families who are financially insecure,” he added.

The interstate school district serves roughly 400 students in grades K-12 from Fairlee, Vershire, West Fairlee and Orford. Students in grades 6-12 attend Rivendell Academy in Orford. Samuel Morey Elementary in Fairlee and Westshire Elementary in West Fairlee serve grades pre-K to 5.

In 2023, Rivendell’s 11-member board announced a three-year plan to close one of its two elementary schools and move students to the Rivendell Academy campus in Orford. That process was put on hold last May after the sudden resignation of Superintendent Barrett Williams. The board appointed Jennifer Botzojorns to serve in the interim, but “to have an interim superintendent lead a two-to-three year process didn’t make sense,” Avery said. 

With the recent announcement that the district has hired Orange East Supervisory Union Superintendent Randall Gawell to take the helm at Rivendell, the consolidation process can move forward under his leadership, Avery said. Gawell will “lead the analysis and make a recommendation to the board,” he added. 

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.