(This story by Derek Carson appeared first in the Bennington Banner on Nov. 20, 2017.)
POWNAL — A recount of votes in Pownal on whether to merge five local school districts confirmed the results reported earlier this month.
The recount was initiated after Pownal Assistant Town Clerk Julie Weber received a written request from a resident within the 10-day deadline following the vote, which failed by a thin margin, 214-210. On Monday evening, after the manual recount was completed, the number of votes exactly matched the initial count.
While voters in Bennington and Shaftsbury overwhelmingly approved a merger of the Bennington, Shaftsbury, Pownal, Woodford and Mount Anthony Union school districts Nov. 7, at least three of the four towns involved had to vote in favor to form the regional district.
Woodford also rejected the plan, 38-36. The merger was approved in total across the four communities 1,533 to 766. Bennington voted 965-338 in favor, and Shaftsbury voted 322-176 to approve the plan.
Rejection of the plan on Nov. 7 meant the merger could not be approved through a revote before a Nov. 30 deadline set by the state in order to qualify for school tax reductions under the Act 46 process.
Had a recount reversed the result in either Pownal or Woodford, which counted its votes again last week, the merger would have been considered approved prior to the deadline. A revote could still occur in either town if warned by the school board or if petitioned by 5 percent of the registered voters of the town.
Without the plan for the merged district in place, districts must submit a report to the State Board of Education on how they can meet the goals of Act 46 with the current structures. Those reports are due Dec. 26.
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