What can Vermont learn from a Kansas town that lost its school?

A local school shuts down. Students start taking longer bus rides. The school district empties classrooms and sells what it can.

Now the town must decide the building's fate. Should it be torn down or transformed into something new?

In Vermont, declining enrollment has led state government to encourage, then require, school district mergers. Schools have stopped operating around the state, including Rochester, Bridgewater, Chelsea and Guildhall.

Nationwide, some former school buildings are used as town offices or community centers; others have been sold to private corporations or turned into upscale apartments. 

The 276-person town of Hanston, Kansas, took a different route, converting a junior/senior high school into a business incubator for local entrepreneurs. It's an attempt to reverse some of the economic shrinkage that led to the school closure.

An engineer has turned one classroom into a remote-work office. Other spaces in the school are being used as a photography studio, a quilt shop and an embroidery business.

Is this a feasible model for Vermont towns? The Burlington Free Press visited Kansas to find out more. Subscribers can read the rest of the story here. 

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.