St. Johnsbury's 2026 Town Meeting

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Created on Wednesday, 04 March 2026 03:23

Written by Asher Ballantine

St. Johnsbury - Town Meeting Day has arrived, and St. Johnsbury takes to the polls.

During yesterday’s informational meeting, the school district and town reported their yearly information and provided what the budget increases would look like.

There were tax increases of 3.64% for properties under $100,000 in the Special Service Zone, and an increase of roughly 6% for those who fell outside the zone. On the school side, there was 8% more spending per pupil, with an overall change to the tax rate of 7%.

The proposed school budget sits at $31,830,266 which is a 5.34% increase over the current year. The new budget is to allow for more positions at the school, with the need for more educators. 

There were many voices during Town Meeting Day focusing on passing this school budget, with demonstrators taking to the streets to get people voting. Colleen Morris was one of the many community members encouraging the vote, emphasizing that the school board made an effort to put forward a budget increase that works for both parties.

"I feel like we did that with this budget this year and I’m gonna hang out here for the day and wave at all my neighbors. Hopefully we can see this thing across the finish line and continue engaging at the state level with a broader conversation about how this system works and how we can evolve it in the future for everybody."

But there were many others who agreed with her, with other voters focusing on the impact on the students, ensuring they won’t get a compromised education.

By the end of the day, when all the votes had been cast, St. Johnsbury approved all of its budgetary items on the ballot, alongside all of the appropriations for local organizations.

The passing of the school budget was very close, with the vote coming to 627 to 606, with just 21 people making the difference. Many incumbents kept their seats, with the exception of Tracy Zschau, who lost her seat in a close race with Ellen Burt.