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 |