TruexCullins is collaborating with school districts across the state on District Master Plans to identify ways to optimize educational effectiveness and operational efficiency. In addition to being a sound practice, creating a district master plan is a requirement for eligibility in future state construction aid.

This month, the Vermont legislature passed House Bill 454, which includes dramatic changes to how schools are funded, districted and governed. This legislation establishes a School District Boundary Task Force to make recommendations for school re-districting, creating districts with a minimum size of 8,000 students.

Rather than wait for a larger administrative body to decide their fate, many school districts have opted to create a vision for their future while they still have control. The good news is that, in many cases, their goals remain consistent with state policy.

One community we are currently working with is the Orleans Central Supervisory Union (OCSU) in the Northeast Kingdom. This district includes the towns of Albany, Barton, Brownington, Glover, Irasburg, Orleans, and Westmore.  It includes six elementary schools, the Central Orleans Family Education Center, and the Lake Region Union High School.

In 2024, OCSU took a bold step toward shaping the future of education in the region. With aging school buildings, rising maintenance costs, and increasing pressure from statewide education reform, the district partnered with TruexCullins to explore long-term facility planning options that would ensure equity, sustainability, and academic excellence for years to come.

Planning Principles: What Guides the Vision

Prior to developing options for the district, OCSU adopted a set of planning guidelines, to ensure that the district’s values and operational needs were met.

These guidelines included:

• Access & Equity, establishing maximum bus ride times, and ensuring equal access to academic and support programs across the district;
• Class size targets based on grade level;
• School configuration, with distinct approaches for elementary, middle school, and high school;
• and Specialized Learning and Support, such as makerspaces, health classrooms, and access to natural light and fresh air.

These principles shaped the evaluation of each option, ensuring that decisions were grounded in both educational best practices and community values.

From Broad Vision to Focused Strategy

In April, TruexCullins presented eight potential pathways for consideration, from the Status Quo to Option H.  Each option offered a different mix of school consolidation, new construction, and investment levels. These ranged from maintaining the current configuration (Status Quo) to building entirely new regional facilities (Option G).

By June 2025, the field had narrowed. The OCSU board selected three options—B, E, and G—for deeper analysis, with Status Quo (no bond) retained as a baseline for comparison. Led by David Epstein and Cam Featherstonhaugh, the TruexCullins team returned with refined cost estimates and detailed site plans, helping stakeholders weigh the financial and educational trade-offs of each scenario.

The Options presented by TruexCullins offered a range of approaches, from reuse of existing buildings to new construction:

Of these, Option G offers the greatest long-term savings, followed by Options E and B. The Status Quo option yields no savings.  Option G is also the most space-efficient, requiring the least total square footage. Option B, which blends reuse and new construction, requires the most. Using our unique 30-year cost modeling method, we were able to demonstrate significant savings over the status quo for each option.

At the June presentation to the Lake Region school boards, discussion focused on the uncertainty surrounding H.454 and its potential impact on the school district. With new district boundaries and funding mechanisms still to be determined, some present advocated for moving forward with building plans while the district still has local control, while others urged caution and preferred to wait for clearer guidance from the state.

From here, the Lake Region boards are expected to continue refining these options and engaging the public in meaningful dialogue. As the district moves forward, community input will be essential in shaping a solution that reflects both local values and long-term educational goals.