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By Michael Bielawski
Last Thursday, an organization largely led by Northeast Kingdom principals, superintendents, and others in education responded to the governor’s ambitious education governance overhaul, including his five-district statewide model and block grant funding.
“Like so many Vermonters, education professionals, and organizations have had to do when engaging in the democratic act of disagreement, we state unequivocally that despite the Administration’s tendency toward finger-wagging, leveraging a critique of the Governor’s plan is not a defense of the status quo,” was the response from the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative (VREC) to the governor’s plan.
The response by Executive Director John Castle alleges that the administration is putting politics over students.
Castle writes, “The fact that the Administration and Secretary have largely marshaled the expertise of classified staff at the AOE to support their political agenda – at the expense of performing their core duties to the field – not only calls into question their motives but whether they have engaged in significant waste at the taxpayer’s expense.”
The governor’s plan would do away with the traditional Supervisory Unions altogether. About half of VREC’s board of directors are superintendents, meaning their jobs could be at stake were the governor’s plan to advance.
VREC says the governor’s plan is unrealistic.
“The Administration’s plan is built on a subsidence [a groundless foundation]; it is so far-reaching, so unfinished, and so imperfectly informed that it poses to exacerbate an ever-growing reality in Vermont,” they wrote.
According to his bio on the VREC website, Castle moved with his family from Jersey City, New Jersey to an old farmhouse on 80 acres of land in Holland, Vermont in the summer of 1972. He started second grade at Holland School in Marion’s Petell’s 1-2 classroom and graduated from North Country Union High School. John has worked as a teacher, coach, athletic director, and school administrator at the college, high school, elementary and supervisory union level in Vermont for almost 30 years.
Solutions?
While the VREV says they do not endorse the status quo, it does not list specific solutions. It encourages more data sharing and being more “drama-free.”
They wrote, “Perhaps the brave if not ‘bold’ action we could take for our public education system and Vermont taxpayers is to be deliberate, data-informed, and drama-free with our constant ‘transformations’ that really are just tired tropes and re-treading of old ideas, policies, and proposals under a different name.”
They suggest that “If the Administration wants education funding to be more transparent and understandable to the taxpayer, perhaps it’s time to revisit the process by which the State pays for things with Education Funds newly disguised as ‘special funds.’”
The administration said…
VREC is responding to statements [and a newly released plan, see VDC today] by the Governor’s office led by Education Secretary Zoie Saunders on why education is expensive and underperforming.
Governor Scott’s administration said, “These challenges stem from declining enrollment, persistent achievement gaps, and inefficiencies in resource allocation, all of which are compounded by Vermont’s overly complex organizational governance structure and confusing education funding system.”
In response, VREC argues the governor’s initiatives such as universal pre-k as well as the ending of federal COVID-era funding contributed to high costs. They also noted a 16% increase in health insurance costs and they estimate a 6% rise in inflation.
“One can’t help wondering if they are blaming public school districts for responding to a global pandemic or successfully implementing a Universal Pre-K program they have promoted?” they wrote.
Too complex?
On the notion that Vermont’s education system is over-complex, VREC agrees.
“In a national context, Vermont’s funding system is unusual in that local districts determine how much they wish to spend, and this spending collectively drives the total amount the state must raise through taxes,” they wrote.
“This bottom-up approach, where districts effectively set statewide spending levels, complicates efforts to align resources with priorities and manage costs sustainably. It also creates additional layers of complexity for taxpayers trying to understand how their local budget decisions impact broader state finances.”
The result is ultimately “inequitable funding between communities” and “challenges in managing declining enrollment.”
Contact your legislators
See all bills assigned to this committee here. Constituents may contact committee members (click link on name for bio, party affiliation, etc.) with comments, questions and information at the following email addresses:
House Education
Peter Conlon, Cornwall, Chair, pconlon@leg.state.vt.us
Chris Taylor, Madison, Vice Chair, cataylor@leg.state.vt.us
Erin Brady, Chittenden District 2, Ranking Member, ebrady@leg.state.vt.us
Jana Brown, Richmond, Clerk, jbrown@leg.state.vt.us
Joshua Dobrovich, Orange-3, jdobrovich@leg.state.vt.us
Leanne Harple, Orleans 4, lharple@leg.state.vt.us
Robert Hunter, Bennington-4, rhunter@leg.state.vt.us
Emily Long, Burlington, elong@leg.state.vt.us
Kate McCann, Washington-4, kmccann@leg.state.vt.us
Beth Quimby, Caledonia-3, bquimby@leg.state.vt.us
Casey Toof, St. Albans City, ctoof@leg.state.vt.us
All committee transcripts are available at SmartTranscripts of Meetings Under The Vermont Golden Dome. The Committee meeting video is available at the committee’s YouTube channel. The committee meets in the morning in Room 8.
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Categories: Uncategorized
Deconsolidate now
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/06/09/474976731/the-one-room-schoolhouse-thats-a-model-for-the-world
You mean the way we started before the state took over? I went to the second oldest two room school house in the nation…….Hancock Vermont….
Act 60 was supposed to save small schools, they closed it down.
We are being scammed, majorly in Vermont the world is going toward freedom and Vermont is going full blown Marxist.
Having spent ten months in Colombia in the late 60s, I totally understand why that concept worked very well in a location like that. I am not sure if it applies here. Believe me, rural Vt. doesn’t at all compare with rural Colombia. Just commenting.
You can’t maintain small rural schools with declining enrollment and significantly lower the cost of education and tax rates. Our costs are too high because we have too many deteriorating buildings that require too many administrators and teachers for too few students. And we’re not being “scammed.” There are no easy answers. Downsizing and restructuring the state’s entire public education system is an incredibly difficult task.
Serious question: Would you tell me exactly why you think that de-consolidation would save money?
Re: “You can’t maintain small rural schools with declining enrollment and significantly lower the cost of education and tax rates.”
Yes, you can… if you really want to.
John Castle needs to get a real job — preferably in California or China, where he belongs. Castle has polluted Vermont schools with racist CRT and called Vermonters racists for being white. I have written about his shameful antics previously and will share links below. But more, he just wants to keep his overpaid job. Vermont has lost about 30% of its student body in the last 30 years — but not a single superintendent. We have the second highest costs per pupil in the nation for public schools when adjusted for our incomes. We can’t afford woke liars like Castle any more — retire them all, and let Castle take fellow toxic hatemonger Layne Millington along with him. These people sacrifice our children on the altar of their racist woke cult.
http://www.truenorthreports.com/john-klar-how-vermonts-teachers-lost-their-way-on-crt
https://johnklar.net/Article/Learn-the-Truth-About-CRT-From-Children-When-Superintendents-Lie
http://www.truenorthreports.com/john-klar-ncsu-superintendent-john-castle-must-resign-immediately
VERC is but another education lobbying group, with a very targeted agenda.
Their statement is not only disingenuous, but lacks in facts and honesty.
VERC offers no solution, perhaps the goal of their statement is only to cast blame on the scott administration, while shielding the true offenders- the Vermont Legislature. It is the legislature that need to be held accountable for the malaise and miasma of education funding in Vermont.
“Governor Scott’s administration said, “These challenges stem from declining enrollment, persistent achievement gaps, and inefficiencies in resource allocation, all of which are compounded by Vermont’s overly complex organizational governance structure and confusing education funding system.”
FACT: Education funding has relied on the property tax for the bulk of funding, for a century. Attempts prior to Brigham were as wrong as attempts after Brigham. Majority d & p legislatures have existed for over 2 decades, without any other outcome than more spending and declining education quality.
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2018/WorkGroups/House%20Education/Education%20Finance/W~Mark%20Perrault~A%20Very%20Short%20History%20of%20Education%20Finance%20Prior%20to%20the%20Brigham%20Decision~2-8-2017.pdf
FACT: 1997’s Brigham decision set the legislative branch wild, to create “equitable” funding under the court mandated shield of Brigham. In reality it was a court legislating instead of the legislature, thanks to howard dean. It has allowed every legislature since to run amok with funding and obfuscation, without accountability.
“In response, VREC argues the governor’s initiatives such as universal pre-k as well as the ending of federal COVID-era funding contributed to high costs. They also noted a 16% increase in health insurance costs and they estimate a 6% rise in inflation.”
FACT: Act 166 of 2013 with 5 d sponsors launched Pre-K, signed into law by peter shumlin. phil Scott, then lt. gov. had no bearing on this legislation.
FACT: Vermont’s d’s and p’s, along with peter shumlin in 2008 began Vermont’s skyrocketing health care and insurance costs. Subsequent legislatures have done nothing to alleviate the issues they themselves created.
“On the notion that Vermont’s education system is over-complex, VREC agrees.”
And that’s just the way they like it…
And this change will improve the test scores? How?
The cave monkeys are not going to fix the education funding problem as they are too many of them on the dole. These crooks could care less if you loose your property because of high property taxes. Remember, you pay your taxes and pay their wages that pays their property taxes.
Which ones are “on the dole”? Do you know how much legislators get paid?
Re: “Yes, you can… if you really want to.” Would you explain how?