October 8, 2009
By Representative Heidi Scheuermann
The Committee on the Financing and Effectiveness of the Vermont Education System, the most recent in a long line of committees established over the years to address the significant failures of our education funding system, has now met three times.
Given there are just three meetings that remain, as an observer of the last two and fierce proponent of education funding reform, I feel it important to share my thoughts.
This committee was established in the 2010 budget bill of last session. Its mission is “to examine potential improvements to the structure and funding of the Vermont educational system in light of the state’s limited financial resources.”
Families and businesses in Stowe and throughout Vermont have known for some time that our education system, as it is now structured, is unsustainable. After twelve years of Act 60/68, our education spending has increased by almost 100% at the same time our number of pupils has decreased by 10%.
For over ten years, our property taxes have skyrocketed. At the same time, fewer and fewer people are actually paying their full property taxes. And, now Vermonters all over are struggling in this very difficult economy. Economics 101 tells me that this is unsustainable, that we are on a sinking ship, and that we must take action now in order to ensure high quality education for our children at a cost we can afford.
For that reason, the committee’s second meeting was frustrating, as they could not even come to consensus that there was a problem with education spending or funding. As some members shared their very serious concerns about the affordability and sustainability of our education system, others made it clear that they were not there to cut education spending at all. To her credit, Senator Susan Bartlett tried to move things forward by presenting a consolidation plan to the committee, though the reaction was less than enthusiastic.
Happily, the most recent meeting seemed to be more productive. While it is not clear that there is consensus yet on the problems we face or how we address them, there was additional discussion of reform in the form of consolidation.
The State Board of Education also has a committee whose mission is to transform our education system into a 21st Century one. While this committee continues to work, a draft of one section of their report was shared with the legislatively created committee. In it, the State Board committee is recommending that Vermont’s 51 supervisory unions, 12 supervisory districts, and 284 school districts be consolidated into 14 education districts. The committee states, “forming these larger districts to expand learning options is critical to the success of education transformation for a new generation of learners.”
While I continue to have questions about consolidation, I do believe it is a necessary step in our effort to address education spending, and am hopeful the legislatively created committee moves forward in this way. This does not, however, take away the need for education funding reform. Given the committee’s mission of examining potential improvements to our funding system, I am hopeful they will do that as well.
At the same time the debate over education spending occurs, we must present options for reforming the funding system. Clearly, there is no shortage of ideas. One such option recently put forward in Bennington County, and proposed in the past, is to eliminate the statewide property tax and institute a county-wide tax in its place. While I have not seen specifics, as the committee discusses consolidation ideas, it would be an opportune time to discuss this and similar ideas.
The next meeting of this committee is on October 14th from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. There is a public comment period of 1:15 – 3:15 PM, so if you are interested in giving your thoughts or ideas, contact Jill Remick at Jill.Remick@state.vt.us.
I encourage anybody with an interest to attend. We must ensure our leaders know how our current funding system has been detrimental to families, communities, economic growth, jobs, and even educational outcomes. We must do all we can to reform our system to ensure high educational quality for all Vermont children, tax equity and fairness, and financial sustainability.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 253-2275 or heidi@heidischeuermann.com.