by Guy Page
Add Vermont House Education Committee Chair Pete Conlon (D-Cornwall) to the list of elected officials and public figures unsure how they will vote on their local school budget tomorrow.
Gov. Phil Scott told the press last week he is leaning towards voting down his local budget in Berlin, which would add about $1500 to the taxes on his $349,000 home. Earlier, former Democratic Gov. Howard Dean’s Finance Commissioner, Tom Pelham, wrote an op-ed saying it’s okay to vote down the school budget this year. The centrist advocacy group Campaign for Vermont echoed that theme.
When asked by VDC at a press conference how he would vote on his local budget, Conlon – a reporter/editor for the Addison Independent for 15 years – said, “to be very honest, I don’t know….I think that school districts and school boards have been very responsible, and I need to weigh that against the amount that our taxes will be going up.”
And barring some kind of voter revolution, the statewide property tax will be going up by about 20%.
Across Vermont, school districts are facing 20% budget increases (more in some towns, less in others). A law hurriedly passed last month to remove local spending incentives in the state education funding formula and give school boards time to rework and rewarn their budgets did not result in quick downsizing of proposed local school budgets.
Most school districts, then – including Conlon’s – will ask Town Meeting voters to approve spending that will result in property taxes rising by about 20% statewide. Aware of the voters’ concern, House leaders at the press conference assured voters the House is aware of school spending concerns and will be working very, very hard to address them when it returns next week.
Ways and Means Committee Chair Emilie Kornheiser said she feels like she has spoken with every legislator about every school funding alternative option raised by every constituent. Part of the problem, she says, is that simple solutions are unfair – that is, not equitable to lower-income school districts. “Simple is unfair” but “complex is fair,” she said.
The rejiggered education funding formula isn’t the only cause for the tax increase. Inflation, particularly in salaries and health insurance; the $30 million Universal School Lunch program approved last year; and loss of pandemic-era federal funding invested in ongoing problems and not one-time needs all have contributed.
Budgets voted down Tuesday will be revisited by school boards and warned for another vote. After July 1, school districts may borrow up to 87% of the current school budget to continue operating until voters approve a new budget.
Secretary of State to capture Prez primary, some Town Meeting results – Unofficial Presidential Primary results are reported to the Secretary of State by Vermont cities and towns after polls close on the evening of Tuesday, March 5th, and posted on the Secretary of State’s website. Results will be unofficial until the Canvassing Committee meets to certify the results on March 12th.
Cities and towns are not required to report the results of their local, Town Meeting Day elections to the Vermont Secretary of State on March 5th, so for local results it is best to check with the relevant city or town.
Non-binding Town Meeting resolution for Gaza ceasefire – the Journal-Opinion reports that town meeting voters in Bradford and Thetford approved nonbinding resolutions on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and prohibiting future American arms sales to Israel.
The item was not warned in either town and came up under ‘other business’ articles on the town meeting warning.
In Thetford, the resolution was approved in a voice vote, although speakers expressed both support for and opposition to the resolution.
“What else would you call it but a massacre,” said Duncan Nichols in introducing the resolution at the end of the town meeting. He said communities across the country were taking up similar measures.
Bill Huff said Israeli military units are at war with Hamas and not the Palestinian people.
“Hamas is committed to the extermination of the Jewish state,” he said.
The nonbinding resolution directs town officials to communicate the result to the White House.
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Categories: Town Meeting
Just think if leaders came out as strong as they do for Haley and Biden, we might have a balanced and/or budget that was in control.
If the VTGOP had come out across the board, for the previous 3 weeks, with vote down the school budgets, we’d have some education reform.
Instead, they stump for national swamp creatures and send us the bill.
A simple way to determine per pupil cost is to divide the budget by the actual number of students. The state and school districts make this difficult by using weighted student counts to calculate per pupil cost.
In ANWSD the budget information in yesterday’s Front Porch Forum said, “The proposed FY25 of $28,232,078 which is 11.5% increase from the FY24 budget. This will result in an estimated $15,747 long-term weighted per pupil.”
In reality, the actual budgeted cost per pupil is $28.2 million divided by the stated enrollment of 868 students = $32,545, more than twice as much as represented !!
Now you’re catching on….
What ever could this mean?? Is it possible that the same people who put the horrid system in place are now having to live with the consequences of their own actions??? Can’t seem to afford it?? Huh. WHO didn’t see this coming??
It’s time to consider one school district for the whole State. I know this does not sit well with the NEA or the Superintendents, however it is time to look after the taxpayers and recognize that our student population is not growing. Think about it folks. Time to Vote is here.
i will be voting no tomorrow on all budgets///
Vermont Town Meeting 2024 appears to be an excerise in futility as most general elections are proving to be as well. Can’t seem to reconcile The Biden stating it’s not who votes, it is who counts the votes. As well as his other gem, “we have put together I think the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics” Of course, they say his words were taken out of context – perhaps he had brain freeze from eating too much ice cream. Regardless, let the Kabuki Theater, chicken dancing, theater of the absurd continue. It is just part and parcel of the American Dream after all – you just have to be asleep to believe it.
I’m going to re-post the same reply I had to last week’s story in VDC about Biden actively standing against Israel, just as the misguided Bradford and Thetford voters are being reported as doing the same today…
I cannot adequately express the anger I feel that there is anyone who is leveling blame at Israel for their absolute right and need to wipe Hamas out, and for their taking umbrage at what is happening in Gaza while refusing to 100% condemn the utterly demonic attacks on innocent Israelis on October 7th.
Israel has 100% sovereignty to do whatever is in its power to ensure that the threat of that ever happening again is powerfully and permanently neutralized.
It is not Israel’s fault that Hamas uses innocent residents of Gaza as human shields to foment negative world opinion against Israel.
And as far as believing any news reports out of the Middle East which portray Israel in a negative light and oppressor role, and Hamas as oppressed victim, they have a 100% track record of lying. Lying and cheating is a cultural norm for them.
Shame on anyone who chooses to believe those lies. Yes, innocent people most always die in the actions which ensue when a bully picks a fight. But blame the bully, not Israel.
Israel has proven to anyone with half a brain cell that as victims of the worst genocide in modern history, with the exception of preborn children in the US since 1973, they would never seek to commit genocide. In fact, they gave away Gaza to those who asked for it and even armed its police force so that it could practice and enforce its own desire for self-governance.
But as is true about the terrorists there, they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Name one good humanity-enhancing, society-building thing they have ever done with any opportunity given them. They only thrive on tearing down, hatred, destruction, and the elimination of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Anti-semitism never died after the Holocaust. It has merely waited for more opportune times throughout history to rear its demonic head.
The historical myopia and amnesia exhibited by these virtue-signalers is unconscionable. What they are doing would be akin to blaming American Indians for killing settlers or soldiers who had unmercifully attacked their tribes, claiming that the Indians were bent on genocide of Caucasian people.
But what these Vermont legislators have done with their letter to Biden (and the voters of Bradford and Thetford who want to withdraw military support for Israel) only reflects and reinforces how out of touch with reality they are, as also evidenced by the absolute insanity of the cesspool of legislation they’ve proposed and passed in recent history.