§ 1801. Definitions
As used in this subchapter:
(1) “New District” means a district created by the realignment or merger of two or more
current districts into a new supervisory district, union school district, or any other
form of merged or realigned district authorized by law, including by chapter 11, subchapter
1, of this title, regardless of whether one or more of the districts creating the
New District (a Realigning District) is a town school district, a city school district,
an incorporated school district, a union school district, a unified union school district,
or a supervisory district.
(2) “New SU” means a supervisory union created from the merger or realignment of two or
more current supervisory unions or of all or some of the districts in one or more
current supervisory unions (a Realigning SU). “New SU” also means a supervisory union
created by the State Board’s adjustment of the borders of one or more current supervisory
unions or parts of supervisory unions pursuant to section 261 of this title or otherwise, regardless of whether the New SU is known by the name of one of the
current supervisory unions or the adjustment is otherwise structured or considered
to be one in which one current supervisory union (the Absorbing SU) is absorbing one
or more other supervisory unions or parts of supervisory unions into the Absorbing
SU.
(3) “Employees of a Realigning Entity” means the licensed and nonlicensed employees of
a Realigning District or Realigning SU, or both, that create the New District or New
SU, and includes employees of an Absorbing SU and employees of a Realigning SU whose
functions will be performed by employees of a New District that is a supervisory district.
(4) “System” shall mean the Vermont Municipal Employees’ Retirement System created pursuant
to 24 V.S.A. chapter 125.
(5) “Transitional Board” means the board created prior to the first day of a New District’s
or a New SU’s existence in order to transition to the new structure by negotiating
and entering into contracts, preparing an initial proposed budget, adopting policies,
and otherwise planning for implementation of the New District or New SU, and includes
the board of an Absorbing District to which members from the other Realigning SU or
SUs have been added in order to perform transitional responsibilities. (Added 2015, No. 46, § 43, eff. June 2, 2015.)
§ 1802. Transition of employees to newly created employer
(a) Prior to the first day of a New District’s or a new SU’s existence, upon creation
of the Transitional Board, the Board shall:
(1) appoint a negotiations council for the New District or New SU for the purpose of negotiating
with future employees’ representatives; and
(2) recognize the representatives of the Employees of the Realigning Districts or Realigning
SUs as the recognized representatives of the employees of the New District or New
SU.
(b) Negotiations shall commence within 90 days after formation of the Transitional Board
and shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions of chapter 57 of this title for
teachers and administrators and pursuant to 21 V.S.A. chapter 22 for other employees.
(c) An Employee of a Realigning District or Realigning SU who was not a probationary employee
shall not be considered a probationary employee of the New District or New SU.
(d) If a new agreement is not ratified by both parties prior to the first day of the New
District’s or New SU’s existence, then:
(1) the parties shall comply with the existing agreements in place for Employees of the
Realigning Districts or the Realigning SUs until a new agreement is reached;
(2) the parties shall adhere to the provisions of an agreement among the Employees of
the Realigning Districts or the Realigning SUs, as represented by their respective
recognized representatives, regarding how provisions under the existing contracts
regarding issues of seniority, reduction in force, layoff, and recall will be reconciled
during the period prior to ratification of a new agreement; and
(3) a new employee beginning employment after the first day of the New District’s or New
SU’s existence shall be covered by the agreement in effect that applies to the largest
bargaining unit for Employees of the Realigning Districts in the New District or for
Employees of the Realigning SU in the New SU.
(e) On the first day of its existence, the New District or New SU shall assume the obligations
of existing individual employment contracts, including accrued leaves and associated
benefits, with the Employees of the Realigning Districts. (Added 2015, No. 46, § 43, eff. June 2, 2015.)
§ 1804. Employment transition; new school district created upon withdrawal from a union school
district
(a) Definitions. The definitions in section 1801 of this subchapter shall not apply to this section.
As used in this section:
(1) “Expanded district” means a school district:
(A) that was responsible for the education of students residing in a single town for some,
but not all, grades, whether by operating all grades, tuitioning all grades, or operating
some grades and paying tuition for others; and
(B) that, as the result of its withdrawal from a union elementary or union high school
district pursuant to section 725 of this title, is solely responsible for the education of its resident students in all grades prekindergarten
through grade 12, whether by operating all grades, tuitioning all grades, or operating
some grades and paying tuition for others.
(2) “New district” means:
(A) a school district created by withdrawal from a unified union school district pursuant
to section 724 of this title that is responsible for the prekindergarten through grade 12 education of students
residing in a single town, whether by operating all grades, tuitioning all grades,
or operating some grades and paying tuition for others;
(B) a school district responsible for the prekindergarten through grade 12 education of
students residing in a single town, whether by operating all grades, tuitioning all
grades, or operating some grades and paying tuition for others, that was formed when
another town’s withdrawal from a unified union school district resulted in dissolution
of the union district;
(C) an expanded district that did not operate any schools immediately prior to withdrawal
and, after withdrawal, operates a school in one or more of the grades previously operated
by the union district; or
(D) a school district created by withdrawal from a union elementary or union high school
district pursuant to section 725 of this title if prior to withdrawal the withdrawing member was a member of both a union elementary
school district and a union high school district, was not independently organized
as a district responsible for the education of students in any grade, and did not
have a town school district board.
(3) “Operational date” means the date on which a new district or an expanded district
assumes full and sole responsibility for the education of its resident students in
the grades for which the union district was previously responsible. “Initial operational
year” and “second operational year” mean the year commencing on the operational date
and the year immediately following the initial operational year, respectively.
(4) “Transitional period” means the period of time beginning on the day on which the State
Board declares the creation and existence of the new district or the expanded district
pursuant to subdivision 724(h)(2) or 725(h)(2) of this title and continuing until the new district’s or newly expanded district’s operational
date.
(b) Negotiations council and recognized representatives of a new district. At its first meeting during the transitional period, the board of a new district shall:
(1) appoint a school board negotiations council for the new district for the purpose of
negotiating with the representatives of future licensed and nonlicensed employees
of the new district; and
(2) recognize the representative of the employees of the union school district as the
recognized representative of the employees of the new district.
(c) Employment agreements for the initial and second operational years of a new district.
(1) After the new district’s organizational meeting, the new district’s school board negotiations
council and the representative of the employees of the new district shall commence
negotiations relating to the employment of licensed and nonlicensed employees in the
initial operational year. Negotiations shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions
of chapter 57 of this title for teachers and administrators and 21 V.S.A. chapter 22 for other employees. The negotiations council or councils representing employees
of the union school district shall represent the employees of the new district unless
and until the exclusive representative for employees of the new district designates
new representatives to a negotiations council.
(2) If the parties do not ratify a new agreement at least 90 days prior to the new district’s
operational date, then the new district and its employees shall be governed by the
terms of the collectively bargained agreement in place for the union district for
the year preceding the initial operational year unless and until the parties agree
otherwise.
(d) Non-probationary employees; changes to seniority and other provisions. For each new district and its employees, whether governed by an agreement in the initial
operational year pursuant to subdivision (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this section:
(1) an employee of the union district in the year preceding the initial operational year
who was not a probationary employee of the union district at the conclusion of that
year shall not be considered a probationary employee if employed by the new district
in the initial operational year; and
(2) prior to the operational date, the board of the union district, the board of the new
district, and the representative of the employees of the union district may negotiate
a temporary memorandum of understanding to adjust provisions in the union district
contract regarding seniority, reductions in force, layoff, and recall in order to
assist the workforce needs of both the union district and the new district and the
best interests of the licensed and nonlicensed employees they employ.
(e) Individual employment contracts not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. On its operational date, the new district shall assume the obligations of each existing
individual employment contract, including accrued leave and associated benefits, of
any union district employee not covered by a collective bargaining agreement who worked
in the building located in the new district in the year preceding the initial operational
year and who chooses to continue to work in the same capacity in that building in
the initial operational year.
(f) Supervisory unions. If the State Board creates a new supervisory union to provide services to the new
district and one or more other school districts, then the provisions of subsections
(b) through (e) of this section shall apply to the transition of any employee who
was employed by the union district in the year prior to the initial operational year
to provide services typically provided by a supervisory union employee, if the employee
is employed by the new supervisory union in the initial operational year to provide
the same services, with the board of the new supervisory union assuming the responsibilities
of the board of the new district as outlined in subsections (b) through (e) of this
section. (Added 2021, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. June 7, 2022.)