MORRISVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – A new report to state lawmakers estimates Vermont could cut up to $460 million in school spending and achieve the same outcomes.
Vermont taxpayers, students, and educators are facing a renewed question — how to get more for less.
The “Picus report” shows Vermont could save up to $460 million by increasing class sizes, reducing administrative overhead, and consolidating schools. It also shows savings if each district had around 4,000 students. It goes on to recommend that younger elementary classrooms have 15 students and classrooms in grade 4 and higher should have 25 children.
But there’s an important caveat — the report uses a bigger scale and different model than Vermont’s current school system. It also doesn’t have any hard and fast recommendations about closing or consolidating schools.
The report will likely accelerate education finance reform talks already underway at the Statehouse, and that has some local school officials concerned
“If you come in with a wrecking ball approach and you say, we’re going to put everyone in the same bucket and say you’re all inefficient and you need to redo everything you’re doing, I think that is a dangerous approach,” said Lamoille South Supervisory Union Superintendent Ryan Heraty. However, he agrees that how schools are funded needs to change and that local districts need to spend more efficiently. “Analyze where are the inefficiencies, how can we make improvements, how will this improve educational outcomes.”
Interim Education Secretary Zoie Saunders says before capping class sizes and consolidating schools, Vermont needs to set benchmarks on cost savings and what academic achievement looks like. “If they struggle to do that, then we start to look at a menu of options to help support districts to achieve what we all hope a world-class education for our students at a rate we can sustain over time as affordable to taxpayers,” she said.
Lawmakers say the report raises important questions as enrollment drops, test scores remain flat, and
residents pay some of the highest per-pupil costs in the nation. “We need to know how much change Vermonters are willing to accept in order to get a handle on our educational system in Vermont,” said Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall.
In a statement, Don Tinney with the Vermont-NEA says knowing that the report doesn’t reflect the realities of Vermont public schools makes it hard to swallow. “It’s time for state leaders to get rid of the residential property tax and embrace a change to an education income tax, ensuring the wealthiest Vermonters pay their fair share. “This report ignores that fact that school budgets are already the most highly scrutinized policy decisions in Vermont. School boards and administrators across the state work tirelessly to build budgets that meet the needs of students and are fair to taxpayers,” he said.
