Voters in two small Vermont towns have approved the merger of their school districts and the closure of their only public high school amid a statewide effort to deal with declining enrollment.
A proposal approved Tuesday by voters in Chelsea and Tunbridge calls for Chelsea to close its high school and pay for students to attend another public high school of their choice.
Tunbridge already sends students to out-of-town high schools.
The Valley News reports that both towns will provide preschool through middle school education locally, though the new district will explore creating a unified middle school in the future.
The merger was spurred by a state law that provides tax incentives to districts that consolidate their governing structures in an effort to save money.
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