Bradford, Newbury, Vt., voters approve budget for Oxbow school district

BRADFORD, Vt. — Voters in Bradford and Newbury, Vt., on Monday night approved a $16.3 million budget for the newly formed Oxbow Unified Union School District.

The budget — which was passed by voice vote after being amended on the floor to add roughly $25,000 amid concerns about a potential deficit — provides funding for Oxbow High School, elementary schools in Bradford and Newbury, and the River Bend Career & Technical Center.

The merger came under Vermont’s Act 46 school consolidation law, and the Newbury School Board has contested the required merger. Voters in that town have a School District Special Meeting vote on June 28 on a provisional school budget in case the Newbury appeal is successful.

Even so, Danielle Corti, a Newbury resident and chairwoman of the new Oxbow Unified district, said she was pleased by the voter approval on Monday. She said the meeting ran for about 90 minutes.

“I’m happy that we’re able to move forward,” said Corti, who noted that Newbury officials plan to work with their Bradford colleagues but also have felt there was no need to merge.