By Paul Bean
This morning, Thursday May 2, I planned to attend a joint hearing with House Education and House Ways and Means at the Vermont State House. The original published agenda called for discussion of the school budget re-voting process. I showed up promptly at 8:55 to find an empty room.
Apparently, they canceled the hearing.
One can’t help but to wonder…. Why?
If you have been following this story, you already know that one of the most controversial ideas this year was floated by legislators as a possible “solution” to the structural issues within education funding. The “solution,” mentioned at last Friday’s joint meeting and endorsed by Rep. Curt Taylor (D-Colchester), would solve the thorny problem of this year’s cascading school budget rejections. The committees discussed limiting the number of voted down budgets (potentially three), or a specified date, after which voters would “no longer be involved” and the school budget be imposed by school boards per a legislature formula.
Not surprisingly, many citizens pushed back on social media, saying the measure anti-democratic and perhaps even tyrannical.
As disappointed as I was to find an empty committee room, I was still determined to get a story. I found Rep. Scott Beck (R-St. Johnsbury) in the Cafeteria who sits on House Ways and Means. I asked him, “why did they cancel the discussion this morning? He told me “There might be nefarious reasons, however the legitimate policy reason could be if there were a change in the budget revote process, it might influence the outcome of the budgets currently being voted on in communities.”
I asked Beck, “Is this ‘three strikes and you’re out idea’ something they were really serious about?” Beck told me, “I am not certain this is something they were serious about. It was more of a thought exercise, they were thinking out loud, and perhaps that is not what they should be doing. And for that matter, what does it mean to be ‘out?’”
Beck also told me about an idea he floated that at a certain point (a number of voted down budgets or a specified date) would give the voters an option A and B. Essentially option A would be the new budget the Board has proposed, and option B would be last year’s budget as essentially a default – considering that it was a budget the voters have approved in the past.
Yesterday at Governor Scott’s press conference I asked him if he had heard about this “three strikes and you’re out” concept and if he thought school boards should be allowed to impose school budgets after a certain point. He said “no. I think it should be voted on until it passes or fails, or ultimately it passes. That doesn’t seem like the right direction. That’s the first I’ve heard of this. I would not agree with that.”
Whatever the cause of the canceled hearing, we can be sure about one thing, your legislators are tired, frustrated, and from what I gather, they are desperate for solutions, particularly with this education funding problem.
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Categories: News Analysis
i think the tax payers are tired and frustrated with the current state house circus//// govie says keep on voting//// keep on voting and you will finally get tired and stay home////
I still think a simple solution is a 25 toll on I-91 at the Mass-Vermont border. That would generate millions of dollars and quite possibly lower taxes all the way around
Read our lips: NO new taxes. None. Nada. Zippo. Stop. Cut the fat and Do It Now!
Another simple solution is to look at cutting the budget at the State level!
Yes, but how does one do that? As a former educator you surely know that getting credit for solving a problem requires that you show your work, i.e., showing how you solved the problem. Again, if the solution is as simple as you claim, can you specifically articulate the process for doing so?
Districts put out bloated, gross, wasteful budgets with the hopes of passing. If not, they trim ever so slightly and put out the “Yes for the kids” signs, that the “virtuous” public believe. Or they hope the busy people, the ones paying for everything, can’t or don’t make it to the second vote. They suppress the when and where of the vote so fewer come. It’s underhanded and it works.
The process needs to change…
Districts should put forth their BEST budget the first time. If it fails, that’s it, it’s over and we go to the default which is 3% below last year’s (not sure on that) or whatever the number is. Done deal. In reality there are millions upon millions of dollars in every district that could be slashed with no impact on kids. DEI for starters.
Although the re-votes are not widely publicized (at least not for the KESD) you can bet that every teacher and school employee gets plenty of notice and encouragement as to when and where to vote.
Re: “Districts should put forth their BEST budget the first time.”
BEST budget for who?
We can address the education issue but it will take more courage then most have. Ppl will lose their seats and the powerful union won’t allow this to happen. We need to close schools. But with NMBY and so forth it will be extremely hard. Pass a budget and close shop til next year times up folks.
I am sorry but a toll on I-91 only funds the problem. We need to fix the education funding by reviewing the spending habits and simplify the formula. Many people have reached the point of no trust in the budgets being presented. Who in the world can afford a 23% increase in school taxes in just one years’ worth of school spending. People are being overwhelmed by the spending habits of our legislative body and our educational system. Household fixed income is being stripped away at warp speed this year. Most people do not even have the time to pay attention to the shatshow coming their way this year. We need to slow down, say no to budgets, un-elect legislators and get a balanced body in the legislature and start working for the taxpaying people in Vermont. Don’t forget, the legislature voted for a 100% pay increase for themselves this year and then shelved it… for the moment because we are in an election year. COVID dollars sent our schools, legislators and others into a drunken spending frenzy. Many programs and people where added with those funds and now we taxpayers are being asked to fund all those added expenses. This is unfair to our senior citizens and lower income people. This morning on WVMT I heard a couple board members from the EWSD speak about the kickback on taxes
to people who make under a certain amount of income. What difference does that make? Someone has to pay the bill at the end of the day. They said 40% of the people in Essex Westford School District will pay the full boat while the remaining 60% will get a small break. The average home in Essex is around $500K, this current budget will cost those homeowners an additional $1500! This is not sustainable.
Vermont is out of control on spending other peoples income. The time is now this year to change the trajectory.
There’s a very simple solution to the education funding problem – start by cutting fat as you should be doing with any budget. There are more employee vehicles in the combined parking lots of public schools between the school property itself and the supervisory union lot(s) than there are pupils in the school being “educated”, if one can even remotely refer to what is going on in schools at this point.
The next is to stop being beholden to the N.E.A. and A.F.T. in exchange for these powerful union’s endorsing you & your fellow democrat politicians and in donating to your campaigns to ensure “victory”.
The level of putrid corruption engaged in by politicos in Vermont & across these United States is so rampant and pernicious that the degree of damage it has already created to date may be even too far gone to ever begin to restore.
Maybe if kids were excelling academically tax payers would atleast consider paying more. However excellency does not fit in the equity playbook our AOE has adopted. The primary job of our education centers is to do just that; educate children but they are more concerned with preserving and empowering the institution then the actual pupil product. They have failed and refuse to admit their failure. Worse, they have actually doubled down on the lie of equity and become substantially more expensive. It’s time to disband public education in the United States and go private. Let the market work out the kinks. Anything is better then this. Keep voting no.
My bet is the stench of The Biden has wafted it’s way into the Golden Thunder Dome. The Biden new tax proposals: (Forbes) “a 25% annual minimum tax on unrealized capital gains for individuals with incomes and assets exceeding $100 million…. would increase the top marginal rate on long-term gains and dividends to a jaw-dropping 44.6%, marking the highest such rate in U.S. history.” There be your wealth tax!
The GOP doesn’t get a pass either. The shenanigans in DC is pushing people to the edge across the country. The State Houses in “blue” states are feeling the most heat due The Biden dragging the entire party into the abyss from which it came.
The real numbers don’t lie. The war solution is a hard sell under the economic calamity facing the middle class and upper class. I strongly suggest people brace and prepare for some rather bad sledding in the next few months. The desperation is going manifest things that this country has never faced before – 2020 on steroids. Some financial anaylists opine we are in a silent depression and with that comes “emergency declarations” from various plays from their nefarious playbook.