MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A group tasked with rethinking public education has issued its final report, but it stops short of putting forward any specific recommendations for addressing runaway costs that are spiking property taxes for Vermonters.
For decades, the cost of education has continued to rise while student enrollment has dropped.
A variety of cost drivers resulted in a 14% increase in the statewide property tax rate last year.
The Legislature created the Commission on the Future of Public Education last session. They were tasked with developing short- to medium-term ideas to contain education costs. But the 13-member commission was not able to reach a consensus or endorse any specific proposal over concerns they may take on a life of their own this session.
The ideas are not included in the final report. They were instead listed by a subcommittee and they’re really all over the map. They include things like finding ways to close or consolidate schools, streamlining or consolidating administrative expenses at supervisory unions, creating a school construction aid program, renegotiating teacher health care contracts or rewriting the school funding formula altogether.
They stressed many of the ideas have not been vetted or studied fully.
The big question now is how likely are lawmakers to move forward on any of these ideas in the coming session.
Statehouse Democrats and Republican Gov. Phil Scott have been mum about endorsing any specific ideas. The one thing they seem to agree on is there is no new revenue source to be tapped at the state level that can take the burden off property taxpayers.
This all comes as property taxes are slated to rise another 6% this coming year.
Lawmakers return to Montpelier in about two weeks. The commission says they want lawmakers to reaffirm the purpose of the task force. They are also hiring a public relations firm to engage with the public. But the ball is really in elected leaders’ hands here to determine what can be done to bring down education costs. Democrats and Republicans say this is a top priority and will require everyone to be at the table to make difficult decisions and summon political will.
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