SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – With a more than $71 million budget on the table, South Burlington School District members and Vermont legislators took questions from their community.
With voter’s approval of the new school budget, homeowners would be subject to a 23.25% tax increase. The rate change stems largely from salaries, benefits and double digit increases in health insurance premiums.
But it’s not just new spending driving up property taxes. Wealthier districts like this one have also been hard hit by adjustments to the education funding formula.
Most school budgets around the state are set to be voted on as scheduled tomorrow. The legislature allowed districts the chance to delay their votes so they could go back and cut spending, but many districts report there’s little they can cut, so they are letting voters decide.
“If the budget fails, what do you think you’ll have to do, to get a budget that will have reasonable chance to pass?” said South Burlington resident Richard Cassidy.
The South Burlington Superintendent Violet Nichols says there are some other sources of revenue with which could be used for a new budget, but the trade-offs could include things like staffing.
“So I think it’s likely that the board will consider, should we need to make these decisions it would likely be a mix of facilities and staffing reductions. The staffing reductions, depending on where the board goes, could be pretty traumatic,” said Nichols.
The school district could also go to the state legislature and ask for solutions. Representative Brian Minier says the current education funding structure is unsustainable and needs restructuring. But in the meantime, the legislature is actively looking at ways to take the burden off property tax payers.
”In the short term we’re looking at new sources of revenue. In terms of where that revenue comes from, you could look at a sugary beverage tax, you could look at a tax on the cloud, try to put a tax on second homes, on vacation homes,” said Minier.
Again, several school districts across the state will take up budget votes on Tuesday. If they do pass, homeowners will no doubt see property tax increases. If they fail, districts will have to go back to the drawing board.