As we digest the latest education property tax rate predictions just released by Gov. Phil Scott, we must remember what is at stake for our local public schools. Voters wanted one thing – fair, transparent, and predictable education taxes. We know, sadly, that Montpelier once again didn’t listen to community members, parents, students, educators, and local leaders.
So when it comes to what public education should look like in Vermont, let’s start where I hope we all agree: our state’s children deserve a free, high-quality, public education that will equip them to become healthy, happy adults who are able to pursue their dreams. All children who reside here – all children – should be welcomed with open arms in our schools by a caring and committed staff of educators who have the tools to bring out the best in everyone.
Unfortunately, the policy path our governor and legislative leaders have chosen will take us further from that pledge and make it harder for our students and communities to thrive. And it does nothing to address the most unpopular tax in Vermont – our education property tax.
As Act 73 – the state’s big education bill that is threatening to completely upend our centuries-old system of local, public schools – begins to take effect, we should all take a moment and talk about what our schools need to be to best serve the needs of Vermont’s students – our state’s future and the future of every community.
In short, our schools must be student-focused; must offer a wide range of academic and co-curricular activities in an equitable manner; must be connected to the community; must be resource-rich; must be adequately staffed with highly qualified educators; must be sufficiently funded by an education income tax; and must be structurally sound, up-to-date, and safe.
We in Vermont are at a crossroads this year. As Act 73’s Redistricting Tax Force recently noted, consolidating districts for the sake of consolidation won’t make our schools better – and certainly won’t bring any tax relief to working Vermonters. If we really believe, however, that all students deserve to learn in safe, clean schools that offer the full range of course work and after-school activities, while beginning to save taxpayers money, we should put the needs of children front-and-center.
The consequences of what we do this year are huge. If we fail to deliver a public school system that works for our students, we will have failed Vermont’s children. And if we fail to recognize and reinforce the importance of local public schools, we will fail all of us. Indeed, in most of rural Vermont, the local public school is the pillar of the community – and an anchor of economic stability and development. We’ve seen what happens when a rural town loses its schools – people leave; the post-office closes; the general store shutters; the gas station goes under; restaurants and small businesses struggle. In short, if we decide to close schools in the name of “efficiency,” we’re making the choice to destroy the fabric of our rural communities.
Our local public schools have long been Vermont’s most important resource. Against all odds, our poor, mostly rural state has built a system of local public schools that makes a profound difference in the lives of our students and our communities. For many decades, our educators have been at the heart of a school system that outperforms. Our public schools have produced playwrights, Nobel laureates, doctors, plumbers, actors, musicians, even governors and senators, not to mention scientists, professional athletes, and, most importantly, generations of everyday Vermonters who make our state the wonderful place that it is.
We can use Act 73 to dismantle what we’ve built. Or we can take this opportunity to take what we have and make it even better for our children, our communities, our economy, and our state, now and for the future.
Don Tinney is a long-time English teacher at BFA St. Albans who serves as the elected president of the 13,000-member Vermont-NEA, the state’s largest union. He lives in South Hero.
