Vermont’s Act 170 requires school districts to participate in good faith in regional merger studies — a standard that means attending meetings, sharing information, and enabling a genuine investigation into governance options, without requiring support for any specific outcome. MVSD’s regional Merger Study Committee held its first session on September 29th as an informational meeting, including a detailed video overview of Act 170’s framework. Procedural questions around open meeting law requirements caused initial delays, which the Act 170 facilitation team is working through. Local school boards are now reviewing proportional representation models based on Average Daily Membership to ensure balanced community voice on the committee. Study groups are expected to operate through August 2027, with final reports due to the Agency of Education by September 1, 2027.