A former Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board member has raised concerns about the population data used to calculate the six-town school district’s weighted voting methodology.
At the board’s October 10 meeting, former board member Peter Langella said that population data from the 2010 census used by the Act 46 study committee to create the voting methodology incorrectly calculated Waterbury and Waitsfield’s population.
“Two of the population numbers used to set the weighted totals in Article 7 in the corresponding policy C8 are incorrect. Members of our community found this and I am serving as a spokesperson for that group tonight. Waitsfield is incorrectly listed as having a population of 1,883 when that actual population, per the 2010 census, is 1,719 or 164 less. Waterbury is incorrectly listed as having a population of 6,827. The actual population per the 2010 census is 5,064, over 1,700 less. These true numbers would lead to different voting weights. This was clearly a clerical mistake. Whoever tallied these numbers for the first articles of agreement mistakenly added the census designated place (CDP) totals for the two villages to the town totals. The CDPs are actually under the umbrella of the larger town that are used for statistical purposes only,” explained Langella.
Population numbers used by the Act 46 study committee added Irasville population numbers to Waitsfield’s totals and added Waterbury Village totals to Waterbury’s total population.
In an email response following the meeting, HUUSD Superintendent Brigid Nease said, “The Articles of Agreement were approved by both our school district attorney and the AOE prior to going to our voters. Because of the concern raised, I will take the matter forward to both our attorney and the AOE for analysis and guidance.”
Voting weight for each of the towns in the district depends on their population. Under the current calculation, Duxbury and Fayston are weighted at 9.2 (4.6 per board member), Moretown is weighted at 11.2 (5.6 per board member), Waitsfield at 12.8 (6.4 per board member), Warren at 11.6 (5.8 per board member) and Waterbury is weighted at 46 (11.5 per board member). All towns have two board members, except Waterbury which has four members.
Under the old calculation, Waterbury and Duxbury have 55.2 percent of the weighted vote, while The Valley towns have 44.8 percent of the weighted vote. If Langella is correct, Waterbury and Duxbury should have 49.9 percent of the vote, while The Valley towns should have 50.1 percent of the weight.
“All of our communities voted on articles that contained these inaccuracies. Since the creation of the HUUSD this board has been weighting votes incorrectly. Had there been votes that would’ve been changed? I don’t know. I haven’t rechecked every meeting and every vote. Regardless of that, the weights and the population totals have hung over the board and they have often been cited in discussion of action items,” said Langella.
Langella called upon the board to find the solution as well as look back upon close votes in the past months such as the alleged May 2017 Open Meeting Law violation, the recent Moretown vacant seat vote, and last week’s middle school option four vote which took place at the October 10 meeting.
Langella asked the board to believe him, fix the problem, investigate all the close votes and finally to vote one last time using the current weights and to pause on all subsequent votes until the problem is remedied.
