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Government of School Districts

V.S.A. tit. 16, ch. 9, subch. 1A
in effect

16 V.S.A. § 421 Town school districts

421. Town school districts (a) A town shall constitute a school district, except that when a town contains an incorporated school district, the town school district shall consist of that part of the town not embraced within the incorporated school district. (b) It is the policy of the State to support two or more school districts within a supervisory union in establishing a unified union district in accordance with section 722 of this title, if such unified union district would then be large enough to qualify for designation by the State Board as a supervisory district. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 41; amended 1987, No. 228 (Adj. Sess.), § 13.

16 V.S.A. § 422 Meetings

422. Meetings (a) The annual town meeting shall be the annual town school district meeting. However, at any annual or special school district meeting, the electorate may authorize the annual school district meeting to be held on another date so long as the meeting is held after February 1 and before June 15. (b) A warning to change the date for the annual school district meeting shall contain an article in substantially the following form: “Shall the town school district of .................... hold its annual meeting on .................... ?” (c) Town school district meetings shall be warned by the school board and shall contain appropriate articles notifying the electorate of the election of its officers and the business to be transacted. (d) A town consisting of one town school district may transact at any regular or special town meeting any and all business lawful to be done at any lawfully warned regular or special town school district meeting. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; amended 1975, No. 48, § 16, eff. April 15, 1975; 1977, No. 128 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

16 V.S.A. § 423 Directors, number, election; term

423. Directors, number, election; term (a) Each town school district shall have a school board consisting of three directors, one of whom shall be elected by ballot at each annual meeting of the town school district for a term of three years, beginning the day of election or until a successor is elected and qualified, unless a town school district is a member of a unified union district. (b) The electorate may vote at an annual or special town school district meeting to elect not more than two additional directors for terms of either one or two years. When the terms are to be for two years, the warning for the meeting shall so specify. If two additional directors are elected, they shall have terms of the same length, but if the terms are to be for two years, when the additional directors are first elected, one shall be elected for one year and the other director for two years. Terms of these additional directors shall end on annual meeting days. If the additional directors are elected at a special meeting, the term of those elected for one year shall expire on the next annual meeting day and those elected for two years shall expire on the second annual meeting day following their election. (c) The electorate shall continue to elect additional school directors until it votes at a meeting duly warned for the purpose to rescind its previous action under subsection (b) of this section; but the additional directors then in office shall continue in office until the end of the term to which they were elected. (d) A town school district that holds its annual meeting on a day other than annual town meeting day may vote to elect its officers and its representative directors to union school districts on town meeting day. Their terms of office shall commence on the annual school district meeting day unless the district votes to have the terms of office commence on town meeting day. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 43; amended 1983, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), eff. April 13, 1984.

16 V.S.A. § 424 Vacancies

424. Vacancies (a) Except as otherwise provided for a school district operating under a charter, within 30 days of the creation of the vacancy, the school board shall, by majority vote of those present and voting, appoint a qualified person to fill a vacancy in the town school board or a vacancy in the position of town school district treasurer in towns in which the town school district treasurer is elected separately from the town treasurer until an election at a special or annual meeting is held. A record thereof shall be made in the office of the town clerk. (b) If there are vacancies in a majority of the members of the town school board at the same time, the vacancies shall be filled by a special school district meeting called for that purpose. The remaining board member or members are authorized to draw orders for payment of continuing obligations and necessary expenses until a majority of the vacancies is filled. (c) If there are no town school board members in office, the Secretary of State shall call a special election to fill any vacancies and for that interim shall appoint and authorize the town school district clerk or other qualified person to draw orders for payment of continuing obligations and necessary expenses until a majority of the vacancies is filled. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 44; amended 1975, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2005, No. 32, § 1; 2007, No. 150 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

16 V.S.A. § 425 Other town school district officers

425. Other town school district officers Unless otherwise voted, the town clerk shall by virtue of the office perform the same duties for the town school district in addition to other duties assigned by this title. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 45; amended 1979, No. 23, § 2; 2011, No. 129 (Adj. Sess.), § 20, eff. July 1, 2013.

16 V.S.A. § 426 Duties of the town school district treasurer

426. Duties of the town school district treasurer (a) The town treasurer shall be treasurer of the town school district unless, by vote of the town school district, a town school district treasurer is elected. He or she shall keep in a separate bank account all the money appropriated or given for the use of the school district. Within 20 days after the date the school taxes become due and payable or within such other period of time as may be agreed upon in writing by both the selectboard and the board of school directors, he or she shall deposit in the school account payments of the school tax levy received. However, if notification of the amount to be transferred by the Secretary of Education to the school district has not been received within 20 days of the date taxes are due and payable, the transfer shall be effected within 20 days of notification by the Secretary. (b) Within 120 days after the date on which taxes become delinquent, but in no event later than the end of the school year, the treasurer shall deposit the balance of the sum of the gross school tax levy in the school account. (c) The treasurer shall pay out of such money orders drawn by or upon the authority of the board of school directors. If he or she does not pay any such order on demand, the holder thereof may recover the amount from the town school district with interest from the time of such demand. Monies so received by the town school district may be invested and reinvested by the treasurer with the approval of the board of school directors. (d) The town school district treasurer shall keep financial records of cash receipts and disbursements and shall make those records available to the board of school directors or the supervisory union board when requested to do so. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 46; amended 1979, No. 23, § 1; 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 1987, No. 127 (Adj. Sess.); 1987, No. 228 (Adj. Sess.), § 11; 1989, No. 4; 1991, No. 103, § 3; 2005, No. 54, § 2; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 47, eff. Feb. 14, 2014.

16 V.S.A. § 427 Grand list

427. Grand list The grand list of a town or incorporated school district shall consist of one percent of the listed value of the real and personal estate taxable in the town or incorporated school district. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 47; amended 1971, No. 261 (Adj. Sess.), § 1 eff. March 14, 1972; 1993, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 16, 1994; 2005, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 59.

16 V.S.A. § 428 Budget to be voted

428. Budget to be voted (a) At each annual town school district meeting, the electorate shall vote such sums of money as it deems necessary for the support of schools. If such sums are not approved or acted upon at the annual meeting, the electorate shall vote such questions at a duly warned special school district meeting. A district may vote money necessary for the support of its schools to the end of the full school year next ensuing. (b) If the electorate of a school district votes for its budget by Australian ballot, it shall do so using ballot language jointly developed by the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of State and adopted by the State Board, by rule. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 48; amended 1985, No. 196 (Adj. Sess.), § 21; 1997, No. 60, § 26, eff. July 1, 1998; 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 1, 83, eff. March 11, 1998, § 71, eff. Jan. 1, 1999; 1999, No. 1, § 60c, eff. March 31, 1999; 1999, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), § 166b; 2003, No. 36, § 3; 2003, No. 68, § 1; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 48, eff. Feb. 14, 2014; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 60.

16 V.S.A. § 429 Loans

429. Loans Notwithstanding subsection 4029(b) of this title, a school board may draw orders for loans without interest to the town’s general fund, and the town selectboard may draw orders for loans without interest to the school district fund, the loans to be secured by a note signed by both the selectboard and the school board that stipulates mutually agreeable terms and conditions. A note shall be payable not more than 90 days after its issuance and shall be payable on demand anytime within the 90-day term. The school board shall report all loans to the Agency pursuant to subsection 4029(f) of this title. For purposes of this section, “town” and “selectboard” shall have the same meaning as they have in 1 V.S.A. § 139. Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 49; amended 2011, No. 129 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. May 11, 2012.
Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/16/009Fetched: 10/21/2026

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