By Guy Page
The 2024 Property Tax Revolt continues, with two more of the 30 school districts that rejected their school budgets at Town Meeting voting no again, despite budget-cutting revisions.
The Ludlow-Mt. Holly Unified Union School Disrict and the Green Mountain Unified School District (Cavendish, Chester, Andover, Baltimore) both rejected revised budgets at the polls yesterday.
GMUSD voted 220 yes, 340 no – a 39-61% margin. Ludlow-Mt. Holly voted 245 in favor and 272 opposed to an $8.9 million budget.
Both districts belong to the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, which includes Green Mountain High School.
As shown in the graph below, the revote tally is two districts yes, 13 no. The biggest budget revote Super Tuesday yet looms next week, when voters in 11 school districts will render judgement on revised budgets.
The voting yesterday came as the Vermont House gave preliminary approval to H.887, the education funding ‘fix’ that would reduce the proposed statewide property tax from 20% to 15%, while creating two new categories of taxes: a ‘Cloud’ tax on internet services, and a tax on short-term rentals. The bill proposes a 21-person panel to study education funding reform, but does not recommend or propose spending reductions.
| School District | Town Meeting Vote | Revote | |
| Alburgh | No | May 7 | |
| Fairfax | No | No | |
| Georgia | No | No | |
| Holland | No | April 30 | |
| Milton | No | No | |
| Rutland Town | No | April 30 | |
| St. Johnsbury | No | No | |
| South Burlington | No | No | |
| South Hero | No | May 14 | |
| Springfield | No | No | |
| Barstow UUSD (Chittenden, Mendon) | No | April 30 | |
| Otter Valley UUSD (Brandon, others) | No | April 30 | |
| Addison Northwest USD (Vergennes, others) | No | April 30 | |
| Champlain Valley USD (Williston, Shelburne, others) | No | Yes | |
| Lamoille North MUSD A (Cambridge, Johnson, others) | No | No | |
| Harwood UUSD (Waitsfield, Duxbury others) | No | April 30 | |
| Mt. Abraham USD (Bristol, others) | No | No | |
| Kingdom East USD (Lyndonville, Burke, others) | No | No | |
| Paine Mountain (Northfield/Williamstown) SD | No | Yes | |
| Montpelier Roxbury School District | No | April 30 | |
| Green Mountain USD (Andover, Chester, others) | No | No | |
| Ludlow – Mt. Holly UUSD | No | No | |
| Champlain Islands UUSD (Most Grand Isle towns) | No | April 30 | |
| Slate Valley UUSD (Castleton, Fair Haven, Poultney) | No | No | |
| Enosburgh-Richford UUSD | No | April 30 | |
| Washington Central USD (Berlin, Middlesex, others) | No | May 7 | |
| Missisquoi Valley School Distrist | No | April 30 | |
| Elmore-Morristown UUSD | No | No | |
| Barre UUSD | No | May 14 | |
| Northern Mountain Valley UUSD (Richford, others) | No | April 30 |
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Categories: Education
This is a great first step, the next step is to throw ALL the spendthrifts out in November.
I chuckled at seeing Montpelier on the list. They gave noncitizens the right to vote….must be those folks that helped defeat the school budget.
Here’s an idea…Districts put forth their best budget FIRST. If it gets denied, they go to the default number; some percentage under last year’s budget. No more voting. These, darkness of night revotes are crap. Chittenden south passed after getting crushed in initial vote. Nobody knew they had to vote again that day, except the “yes for kids” crowd (a lie).
This process is garbage. With bloated initial budgets getting trimmed with kids scissors until only the lefty libs are voting…..for the kids.
I’m in the Wallingford School district. Our school budget was passed (I voted no). I’m curious as to why some towns are getting a re-vote, and some towns are going with the original vote? Does there have to be a percentage of no votes in order for that to happen?
Lea Ann, if it passes the first time, there is no revote, regardless of the no vote percentage. When a budget gets voted down, the district is supposed to sharpen their pencil and come back with a smaller proposal. Typically they make a small token reduction and send it back to the voters.
There was no reply button for your response. Thank you for answering my question.
Here’s a thought: why not re-negotiate the teacher and administrative salaries?
This is part of the budget that the voters do NOT have a say. Why can’t the employees get the same benefits like the rest of the working class! Teachers are always complaining how poor they are! With the poor results of the students test scores, they don’t deserve a raise at all! Teachers should be put on merit pay. The better the students scores, the more they can make!