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by Dr. Frank Provato
I am concerned that the proposed increases in statewide school budgets consistently exceed the Consumer Price Index, currently running at 2.7%. I plan to vote “NO” on the 5.44% proposed school budget increase in my district. I know that if enough taxpayers follow suit and repeatedly reject their school budgets, under law, on July 1st the school districts will be limited to borrowing only up to 87% of their current operating expenses until they get an approved budget. That will get their attention, once and for all.
School administrators and legislators seem to be consistently locked in a REACTIVE mode, responding to ”today’s” needs, dilemmas, and consumer sentiment, while operating under the flawed belief that some inflationary factors are “out of their control.” They should be reacting to the cries of the taxpayers, who pay their salaries, and who demand a more sustainable, long term solution to the problem.
A PROACTIVE approach would have had the Vermont Association of School Boards and Superintendents, the teachers union, the Governor, and representatives from the legislature, health insurance companies, and taxpayers gathering under at the same table years ago in a COALITION. They would have considered all the potential solutions neatly set forth in the comprehensive 2023 Legislative Joint Fiscal Office “Report on Vermont Education Financing,” and they would have hammered out a consensus solution long before now. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
As a retired primary care physician, I dedicated much of my career to helping my patients with their escalating health care costs. I see parallels between the financial dilemma in healthcare and the school budget issue. I learned that healthcare providers will never voluntarily reduce their prices or decrease utilization of services while employer-sponsored health plans and the average person buying private health insurance continue to pay the high premiums. If healthcare providers sustain losses, they know they can count on government subsidies to bail them out. Essentially, that’s how school administrators and legislators seem to approach the business of education – keep the money flowing and just nip at the edges of the problem.
More importantly, I learned that education, training, and increasing awareness alone do not change this behavior. We need strong incentives or disincentives to change the status quo. We need to make the school systems feel a little more financial pressure from the taxpayers.
If taxpayers fight back, I envision a very busy summer for school administrators, the teachers union, legislators, and the Governor, as they rush to come together in a PROACTIVE COALITION to put us on a more sustainable path before school starts in September. Who among you will bravely step up to kick this off?
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Categories: Commentary, Education, Taxes
Collectively these special interests actively defeat and obstruct any reforms to the Ed Fund and “social justice” agenda in our public schools. With full time lobbyists and the Executive Directors of their professional associations, the Superintendents, Principals, and School Boards associations rule the agenda, amendments and final passage of education bills in our Statehouse. They are humorously referred to as “the Vs”, as in; “We will need to get the Vs in to see what they want… how they see the amendments…. etc.
Legislators bow down to these idols of professional education as little gods and Oracle’s of divine wisdom… and to Citizens the spoils…
Go Vote NO and repeat as needed until the system breaks. I have voted against every school budget since Act 60 destroyed local control.
I agree to vote no, as a li g time resident of Winooski Vermont. And a former school board member, I have worked with school officials for years to bring quality education to our students. I supported school superintendent’s who bought agreements to offer educational training into the school, allowing teachers to earn their master degrees. Giving them well earned pay increases, at the same time support and encouraging teachers to stay in the Winooski school system.
I supported common sense improvements to the facility making a comfortable and safe place to work and teach.
I supported school choice for students that looked for alternative studies the district couldn’t match, where the money followed the students. Beyond the already established programs of technical skills.
But the teachers unions, wanted more, to the point we lost school choice, as the money could no longer follow the students. We list ever budget crisis, ad the teachers unions stroked against the board and always won, due to parents feeling hostage to them after weeks, and the students being home.
A no vote is a sstart, school budgets are out of this communities needs and ability.
Graduating a small number of students yearly, after spending 80 plus million to rebuild a school building, for students that could easily been better supported by school choice for all in nearby local school systems. Many providing numerous additional opportunities for higher education.
So yes we need to send a message no one wants to talk about, that the legislature has ignored for too long and the locals are afraid to speak openly about. Fighting back against the teachers unions.
The teachers union should not be allowed to strike, by law! They should be required to negotiate by binding arbitration only. Just like the police and fire departments have for years. It’s fair and reasonable regarding local affordable budgets.
The same should go for the health industry.
No new buildings should be approved until a study is done where students could be placed at local surrounding schools at better or available spaces for education.
Real school choice needs to be law, where the money follows the students for all students. Not a small lottery.
Voting no is just a choice to show how real this issue is, making real changes is the brave choice and common sense approach, the legislation could make a real difference.
I don’t think there are enough conservatives in our town to ever vote down a school budget. Now that we are in a Union with six other towns, we have no control. I started voting in 1972 and have voted against the school budget every year. I guess that after 54 years of voting, it almost seems like a waste of time. Obviously, those on school board unions have no idea that most people just can’t afford it any more.
Voted no for the last ten years and what did that get me???????