From Thursday's Times Argus:

 MONTPELIER – The executive committee of the U-32 school district recently wrote to the Montpelier school board chairman asking to jumpstart consolidation talks and is open to the study of merging the two high schools and perhaps even sharing a superintendent.

This whole argument predates my residence in Montpelier by many years, but as I understand it, when U-32 was being developed the U-32 district towns approached Montpelier to see if they were interested in joining the regional district and Montpelier said no.

Since then, given the physical plant problems in the Montpelier district, there have been proposals floated in Montpelier to approach U-32, but, smarting from the memory of 1967, sternly rebuffed Montpelier's overtures.

The new approach is different. First, it comes from the U-32 board. Second, it comes at a time when the finances of the state education department and the two districts is more constrained than it has been in years. Third, it comes at a time when there is a vacancy in the office of superintendent for Montpelier, following the recent death of Steve Metcalf.

Both my sons went straight through Montpelier's public schools, and graduated from the high school, but the economies of scale and scope that this proposal offers make this an attractive idea.

I hope the two districts can find a way to make this happen.