Page 4 — The Reporter, February 1, 2017

Letters to the Editor

ACSD Board Chair rejects Gov. School board meeting Scott’s school budget mandate a study in cooperation Dear ACSU/ACSD board members, I wanted to share with you some initial reaction to Gov. Scott’s education proposals as outlined in his budget address and in subsequent testimony before the House Education Committee. While I am a member of that committee, these views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the committee as a whole. As you know, the governor has proposed shifting many new costs to the state Education Fund from General Fund, including money for higher education, teachers’ retirement, child care and other costs. The governor proposes to cover this shift with additional money from the General Fund, some one-time surplus money and the mandates on school districts and teachers you have been hearing so much about. There are many flaws with the proposal that fall into four main areas: legal, financial, practical and philosophical. LEGAL: Two pieces of the governor’s proposal appear in direct conflict with the Vermont Supreme Court’s Brigham Decision, which equalizes funding for schools across the state. First, the governor proposes freezing spending at FY 2017 per-pupil levels (what was approved at Town Meeting 2016). This seems to ignore the disparity of spending across the state. Some districts spend more than $17,000 per student, while others spend less than $12,000. This would lock those disparities in for the foreseeable future.

Second, a smaller proposal would allow — for FY 2018 only — districts to raise an additional 5 percent funding directly from the local grand list. This also ignores the spirit of Brigham as property-rich communities can raise more money on small tax increases than others. One has to wonder if the governor consulted a lawyer familiar with Brigham before making this proposal. FINANCIAL: The governor’s proposal adds $135.9 million in spending to the Education Fund, but only transfers $86 million from the General Fund to cover that, leaving a gap of $50 million. That $86 million annual transfer can only increase by the rate of inflation, so if the programs the $86 million funds — higher ed, for example — increase more than the rate of inflation, that falls on the Ed Fund. At this point it is important to remember that the Ed Fund largely consists of property taxes. That is where the shortfalls will land. As to the $50 million gap, $31 million of it is made up with one-time surplus money that will not exist in subsequent years. That shortfall will also fall on the Ed Fund, and, consequently, property taxes. The remaining money would come from the mandate that schools level fund and teachers pay 20 percent of their health insurance costs (more on that in a moment). PRACTICAL: Asking the Legislature to quickly pass legislation with all these changes (there are NO bills at the moment) is unrealistic. Even

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more troubling is that citizen school boards are currently wrapping up work on FY 2018 budgets, and many votes have been warned and annual reports sent to printers. The governor’s proposal would upend that citizen-led process. Additionally, had the governor asked any school board member anywhere in the state about requiring teachers to pay 20 percent toward health insurance, he would have learned that we are entering a new world of health insurance negotiations that renders the 20 percent meaningless. It is based on insurance plans that will not exist come January 2018. All school districts are working with teachers on menu of new insurance options that throws out the old model of one-plan, one-premium for all. Teachers will be able to choose potentially far less expensive plans and put money in their pockets or Health Savings Accounts while saving their districts money. He did not seem to know this was happening. PHILOSOPHICAL: Let’s leave aside the obvious conflict of what is essentially a state-mandated budget (you must level fund) that really erases the need for a vote or local decisions on what level of spending is appropriate. Instead, let’s look at the enormous progress of Act 46 and unification. In Addison County alone, all but one town that operates a school is now part of a unified system. Act 46 gives districts the ability to look at entire school systems to find efficiencies and streamline education, while striving for equity for all kids and looking at what works best in education. But, that work is just getting started. Most newly unified districts in Vermont don’t become operational until July, and many more have yet to hold unification votes. The governor’s proposal undermines that work and seems to show little confidence that school boards can achieve any of his goals on their own. CONCLUSION: I find myself wondering if the governor’s education proposal was one of two things - a woefully thought out plan that did not involve input from citizen school board members, or a cynical political move that allows him to claim action on behalf of all Vermonters and setting the Legislature up to be the fall guy when his unrealistic idea does not come to fruition. I am disappointed.

Town Meeting is still more than a month away, but the administration, teachers, staff in the Rutland Northeast Superintendent’s office, and local school board members have been carefully and thoughtfully working to make a budget that works for students and taxpayers alike. Recently, I was able to attend one of these open meetings and came away so impressed with the professionalism of all sides. A large group of concerned parents, employees, Select Board members, and community members from all of the sending towns had come to share thoughts and ideas about what they thought were priorities for the budget in consideration of students and taxpayers. Because all towns and all schools now work together through the Act 46 process, it was eye-opening to hear the voices of so many vantage points. Even more impressive was the respectful willingness of the Board to listen, acknowledge, sort out, and thoughtfully respond to each person. In the end, the bottom line over and again was that there is true concern for what is best for the students while balancing the financial demands being placed on our communities. This meeting could have been a model for any kind of negotiating and demonstrated what can happen when

small communities are left to solve their problems. This was a group of neighbors hearing neighbors. It required the energy of community members to prepare their statements and actually attend the meeting. And it takes the dedication of the board members to sift through so many minute details to have a clear picture of each school and the specific community of that school. And finally, the years of experience that long term board members bring, along with extremely professional knowledge on the part of the superintendent’s office, offers a depth of understanding, which enriches and informs the process. I can only offer gratitude for every single person who attended this meeting, and hope that this respectful way of working toward common goals will continue. For those of you who are planning to vote at Town Meeting, please take the time to talk to your board members, read minutes of these meetings, and find out for yourself how these budgets were formed. The time it takes to do this is our responsibility as voters and shows respect for the many people who have done the work in preparation for our vote.   Melly Flynn Brandon

Neshobe Kindness Project Someone once said, “Kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers.” At Neshobe School, students and staff are involved in a kindness project. It is an ongoing project that is changing our school climate, one act of kindness at a time. An “Acts of Kindness” daily calendar suggests an act of kindness that can be carried out by students and staff alike. One small act of kindness towards another can change someone’s day. It makes the doer and the recipient feel good and creates a sense of be-

ing valued and belonging. Better yet, being kind costs nothing and takes very little effort as it makes our school a happier place to be. Our hope is that as we pay these acts of kindness forward, kindness will spread throughout our school and out into our homes and community. We all have the opportunity to do something great by just being a little kinder. Judi Pulsifer Neshobe School Principal

Library grateful for donation

Peter Conlon The Brandon Library would like Chairman to thank Luise Kempel for her generAddison Central School ous donation to the library. Because District Board of her kindness, we are able to renew our yearly subscription to ListenUp! Editor’s Note: Peter Conlan is also Vermont and continue to provide the a Vermont State Representative from thousands of e-books and e-audio Cornwall representing Addison-2 – which includes Cornwall, Ripton, Leicester, Salisbury, Goshen and

books available through our subscription. Molly Kennedy Librarian Brandon Free Public Library

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