BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Lowering the cost of education in Vermont is the goal behind a new report, and it’s expected to play a role in shaping the Legislature’s discussion on education finance reform in the new year.
Vermont has many districts with a lot of staff relative to the size of the state. And with high property taxes to pay for it, legislators are faced with the task of finding where to cut.
“We’ve been hanging onto a system that really isn’t dramatically changed from when we had well over 100,000 students, and we’re now down to between 75,000 and 80,000,” said Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, chair of the House Committee on Education.
He says with rapid changes in the delivery of education, lawmakers say the way we fund it needs to change as well. “The system as it is today has flaws that make it very expensive.”
The Agency of Education report makes a number of findings and recommendations including revising the funding formula and reorganizing and restructuring districts. The report also suggests decreasing teacher-to-student ratios, saying research based on other states shows students can grow and thrive with larger class sizes. Another consideration is to consolidate school boards after findings show there are too many, making it harder to govern and moderate spending.
The Vermont NEA represents 13,000 educators in the state. the union’s Darren Allen says he agrees affordability needs to be a priority but stresses the importance of thinking of the students. “When we make policy decisions involving children we need to put their needs first, particularly in our post-pandemic world, particularly at a time when education, public education is under attack,” he said.
Other education groups like the Superintendents and Principals’ Associations agree Vermonters are paying too much to fund education.
Many want to find the root cause of rising costs but minimize disruption to students. Finding that balance is one of lawmakers’ top priorities in the coming session.
The Commission on the Future of Public Education will read through the report and build their own suggestions to give to the Legislature for discussion. Rep. Conlon says he anticipates these considerations and more to be on the table for discussion come January.