It is the policy of the State to provide substantially equal educational opportunities for all children in Vermont by authorizing two or more school districts, including an existing union school district, to form a union school district for the purpose of providing for the education of its resident students in the grades for which it is organized, and for the new union school district to be a body politic and corporate with the powers incident to a municipal corporation, with all of the rights and responsibilities that a town school district has in providing for the education of its resident students. Formation of union school districts shall be designed to encourage and support local decisions and actions that provide substantial equity of educational opportunities statewide, lead students to achieve or exceed the State's Education Quality Standards, maximize operational efficiencies, promote transparency and accountability, and be delivered at a cost that parents, voters, and taxpayers value.
16 V.S.A. § 701