By Guy Page
Following eight ‘Super Tuesday’ school budget revotes Tuesday, April 16, the total of revoted budgets statewide now stands at three passed, 11 rejected.
At Town Meeting March 5, voters in 30 school districts rejected their school budgets, mostly due to concern over the proposed 20% statewide property tax. Since then, 14 of the school districts have submitted revised budgets to voters. Revotes are pending in the other 16 school districts. Several other districts statewide have yet to hold their first 2024-25 school budget vote.
School districts without an approved school budget by July 1 will be allowed to borrow up to 87% of current funding, while they continue to submit budgets for voter approval.
Last night, school voters found the revised budgets lackingh in Milton, Fairfax, Springfield, the Mount Abraham Union school district, the Lamoille North school district, and the Lamoille South school district.
Voters in two districts found the new budgets acceptable. Champlain Valley Union School District (Williston, Shelburne, Hinesburg, Charlotte, St. George) and the Paine Mountain School District (Northfield, Williamstown) approved their revised budgets.
Champlain Valley Union School District serves relatively wealthy ‘bedroom’ communities in Chittenden County. The high school student council led a walk-out Monday in support of the school budget. The vote was Yes 4358, No 2947, according to a CVUSD Facebook post.
The six no votes Tuesday raises to 11 the number of school districts that have voted down school budgets twice. The others are Georgia, South Burlington, St. Johnsbury, NEK East, and Slate Valley (an Addison/Rutland county district).
Vote totals from yesterday include: Milton 635 (yes – 1,114 no), Fairfax (508-608), and Mt. Abraham Union School District in Addison County (907-964), Springfield, and the two Lamoille County supervisory unions are not yet available, but the No vote has been confirmed.
Lamoille North Supervisory Union is a PreK-12 supervisory union & school district serving Belvidere, Cambridge, Eden, Hyde Park, Johnson, and Waterville. Its revised budget featured a $357,000 (2.26%) decrease from the budget rejected at Town Meeting.
Like many school districts down 0-2, Lamoille North is sharpening its pencils for another budget vote before July 1.
“We are writing to report that the Revised FY25 Lamoille North Modified Unified Union School District Elementary budget has been voted down,” district officials announced on its Facebook page last night. No totals were provided. “This revised elementary budget does not include any new programming or initiatives but continues the current level of services and educational opportunities provided for our elementary students. Without a passed budget by July 1, 2024, our capacity to serve our students is greatly diminished.
“The School Board will continue to work on providing a reasonable and responsible FY25 MUUSD elementary budget. There will be another opportunity for our community to pass a budget before July 1, 2024. More information on the next vote will be coming next week.”
The final tally for the No vote in Morristown/Elmore school district is not available.
Categories: Education
how much money is it costing tax payers for every revote///
A whole lot less than the constant increase in education costs that is somehow also coupled with a constant decrease in student performance.
In our towns it was reported possibly $3500 for the revote.
Better than approving these ridiculous budgets.
How much will it cost taxpayers if they don’t hold revotes?
Our cost per student is the fourth highest in the nation. The quality of the education in most cases is considerably worse.
In our town, it costs some $7,000 for an election.
Gov. Scott’s idea to defer paying for schools shot down by State Treasurer Mike Pieciak.
https://vtdigger.org/2024/04/16/scott-administrations-11th-hour-property-tax-idea-shot-down-by-vermonts-treasurer/
I am
I am so pleased to see the budget rejections. Wish Twin Valley which costs about $30k per student had gone this way. Seems so many don’t know what is happening with school costs, performance issues, and property tax issues. When property taxes come out this summer, it will be a rude awakening to many.
So, Paine Mountain School District reduced its $23.2 Million failed budget to $22.5 Million. In other words, the board originally asked for a $2.8 Million (13.8%) increase and settled for a $2.1 Million increase. That’s the usual strategy. Ask for a huge increase, settle for an almost-huge increase.
And don’t try to get the reported numbers and percentages to be precise. No matter how many different calculation permutations I tried, I couldn’t get the reported numbers and percentages to be anything other than approximations. But then again, what else would anyone expect from a Vermont school district’s math calculations.
The point being, for Paine Mountain, according to the most recent ADM enrollments I’ve received, there are 1022 PK-12 students in the district. That’s $22,015 per student. Not bad, compared to Blue Mountain.
But again, for perspective, local students can attend the VT State University for a full year of standard undergraduate college programs, for $22,882. And that includes college room and board.
And keep in mind that this year’s increases are based on the previous 2022-23 school budgets that included literally billions in federal Covid aid. One would think, now that Covid is behind us, that budgets would go back to pre-Covid totals. But no. As long as they’re fleecing the taxpayer, they always go for the Full Monty.
The Champlain Valley School District is one of Vermont’s largest. It just passed a $101.8 million budget, down from the original ask of $105.8 million. But still significantly higher than last year’s $96 million budget.
An aside: CVU voters had previously passed a $3.6 million construction bond. And yes, all of VT taxpayers will have to pony up some of that money as well.
But to complicate the decision-making further, “the often-perplexing [education funding] formula meant that whether the Champlain Valley School District, for example, approved an $88.5 million budget or a $105.8 million budget [it] would have no difference in its $1.37 tax rate increase.”
So, with a disincentive like that created by Vermont’s astute legislature, why not go for broke? No wonder CVU’s indoctrinated students staged a walk-out.
Okay. So recent ADM enrollments indicate that CVU has 4069 pk through 12th grade students. That’s $25,018 per student. So much for economy of scale. Clearly, school funding makes no sense.
And again, in a post Covid world one should expect budgets to go back to pre-Covid levels. But no, of course not. And yes, for perspective, parents can send these kids to VT State University for a full year of standard undergraduate college programs for $22,882. And, yes, that includes college room and board.
Are Vermonters finally going to send a message to those in the Golden Dome ??
We sure have a big mess in this state !!
Are the taxpayers paying for gender reassignment treatments and surgery too? $22,882 per student seems over the top. I hear from grandparents that their grandchildren at school don’t have homework and are not motivated towards any kind of academic excellence but just pass or fail. If these students attend Norwich for their last year of high school are the taxpayers paying for it? If they get a degree from Norwich will there be a job out there for them so they will be able to pay off the school loans they will have after graduation??
Donna: $22,882 per student is the cost to send a student to VT State University for a full year of standard undergraduate college programs…. INCLUDING ROOM AND BOARD.
The cost per student at virtually every public school is more expensive. And if you look at the entire Vermont education system cost of $2.5 Billion, reported by the AOE, you’ll see that the cost per student for the fewer than 73,000 K-12 students is approaching $38,000 per student.
Talk about over the top.
And today “The House Ways and Means Committee voted 8-4 Wednesday, April 17 to approve a new school funding plan to plug the $200 million spending gap with cloud and short term rental taxes and a 15% property tax hike.”
Just eat your cake and be quiet.
it does not matter, i have made plans to out last these crooks and i will not be loosing any property/// they have been screwing the poor people that still have their homes///
Vote NO
There is an idea being floated by a (GASP!) Republican to eliminate the education tax from property tax bills and replace it with a 1% consumption tax. This tax would be dedicated to funding education only. The nice part is that EVERYBODY pays. Not just homeowners, and renters, but the tourists too. The leaf peepers, the skiers, the ones who come here to play. However, the thing I would add to this idea is that PRIMARY homes only would get the education tax removed from the tax bill. Second home owners can afford it.
It’s Kingdom East School District, not NEK East School District.
And my guess is number three will fail too.