Keep Education on the Agenda

We need education reform -- both finance and quality  -- to remain on the Legislature's agenda.  From this one editorial on the upcoming legislative priorities, it appears it isn't on the agenda.    Go ahead and do a word search through it.  The word "education" doesn't appear.   

We need serious cost containment reform.  At best, Act 82 is a "good start."  And just shifting the burden on the income tax, as some legislators want to do, will not address the cost problem.  We need more school choice.  How about the Commissioner's proposal to open up Act 150 public high school choice opportunities? 

Here's a link to the legisltive directory.  Contact your legislators.   A quick email would take three minutes to dash off.  A follow-up call would be even better.  Let's roll up our sleeves and get busy!

Comments

[bob hardy]

Voting with their feet! This will turn from a trickle to a flood for the young entrepreneurs with the elimination of capital gains tax provisions. Bob Hardy, Vergennes, VT. If the time has come to kill the goose because the eggs are no longer sufficient, then it is time to depart for more hospitable domiciles for capital.

[G. Cross]

Didn't hear anything about school choice or an expansion of Act 150 in the Governor's State of the State. In fact the topic has been absent in the last several Douglas addresses to the legislature. I suspect the Governor's people have figured out that school choice across multiple, small school districts has a definite added cost to it. I am not against choice, but find it interesting that most proponents of choice in Vermont see it as cost neutral or even a cost savings. If you are willing to pay, all things are possible. The first step in reasonably priced choice in Vermont has to be larger, much larger school districts. To date, no one has convinced the populace to move towards larger districts. Even Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford voters have failed to create one district and they share a union high school. Well, actually Westford is not in the union high school. If one knew the secret to convincing the voters to agree to consolidate small school districts, one could make a ton of money consulting in this state and several other states.

[Curtis Hier]

Public school choice opportunities can be expanded without consolidation. We have to do what's politically feasible. Stayed tuned to Tiger.

[G. Cross]

Of course they can be expanded, but it will cost extra money if dollars are going to flow with the student. The problem is simply this; the sending school can not reduce its budget by the cost of tuition to the receiving school, thus it has to budget for the added tuition cost. If the choice student happens to be on an IEP the funding mechanism between districts becomes a nightmare. In a large district, when a student goes by choice from one school to another in that district, the dollars remain in the district and the resources can be moved around as needed without further cost. There are two choices related to school choice in Vermont; 1) much larger districts where choice can be within the district; and 2) a willingness to pay more for the "benefits" of choice. Take your pick.