There just isn't enough financial information to prove that school consolidation would save the millions the Vermont Senate Education Committee is tasked with finding, the public and the five-member committee agreed at a public forum in Rutland on Monday.

"This process should start all over again," Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Starr said. "This shouldn't be rushed and it's going to take some time."

Five members of the committee conducted their fifth public hearing at Rutland High School's cafeteria only to be met with some of the same public sentiments that greeted them at prior hearings, held at schools statewide.

On education reform, the Rutland-area public said it doesn't want to lose school choice and it wants to control how to save the state money for schools.

Local educators and school boards know what's best for their schools and a top-down approach to school change won't work, said parents, superintendents and School Board members.

Contrary to a mandatory school consolidation plan proposed by the state's top education official, Commissioner Armando Vilaseca, Starr said, "As far as I'm concerned, there will be no mandate."

"It's going to come from the bottom up," Starr said, prior to the start of the two-hour forum.

And given an absence of information on how much Vilaseca's school consolidation plan — from 280 school unions down to 50 — would save the state and the educational outcomes that may result from it, Starr told the public more work needs to be done.

There also isn't information on how much the popular bill H.782, or the "Peltz" bill, would save the state if it passed, according to the discussion.

That bill promotes financial incentives to districts that merge.

"There's an utter lack of data that consolidation will save money and be better for our kids," said Sean Lee, a Pittsfield parent.

"Wait for the proof before you make any decisions," Lee urged the committee.

Other parents from Chittenden said they had unique children with unique needs and they relied on school choice, an option that may be threatened by forced school or school district consolidation.

Public school superintendents from the area said a one-size-fits-all approach to education reform won't work.

"Don't paint a broad brush," Rutland Superintendent Mary Moran said.

"It worries us here in the city because that's not our demographic or our structure," she said of targeted high cost, small class-size schools.

"In some districts, closing schools make sense," said Superintendent Daniel French of Sunderland's Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union.

Chuck Piotrowski of Wallingford said something vital was missing from the whole conversation.

"We've heard about dollars and nothing about education," he said. "When I sign that check (for taxes), one of the saving graces I have is that some of it goes to education and making kids smarter."

The next Senate Education Committee hearing is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight in Bennington at the Mount Anthony Union Middle School cafeteria at 747 East Rd.

cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com