Education

Vermont education officials are holding a series of forums on what the future of public education should look like.

Last month, student representatives on the board of the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) administered a survey to gauge how students and faculty are faring with a new policy that prohibits use of cellphones during the school day. They shared these results at the board’s Wednesday, October 9, meeting.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott dedicated most of his weekly briefing Wednesday to discussing the quality and cost of the state’s education system. Scott, a Republican, opened his briefing noting that Vermont’s education spending in 2018 totaled $1.6 billion and it has increased to $2.4 billion, yet the number of students has dropped.

A recent report presented to Vermont lawmakers suggests that the state could potentially save up to $460 million in school spending without compromising educational outcomes. The “Picus report” outlines a range of cost-cutting strategies, including increasing class sizes, reducing administrative costs, and consolidating schools. Additionally, the report recommends that school districts should have an average student population of around 4,000. For classroom size, it suggests a cap of 15 students for younger elementary grades and 25 for students in grade 4 and above.

Many high school seniors are in the midst of completing their college applications right now, but many Vermonters often pursue non-traditional paths to higher education.

This letter is from Kara von Behren, a resident of Westford. This election, I’m raising my voice for child care and I’m supporting our local candidates who are prioritizing solving the child care crisis. Julia Andrews will be getting my vote. We have made great progress towards solving this crisis, thanks to Vermont’s historic new child care law, Act 76. Since its passage last summer, over 1,000 new child care spaces have been created, and thousands more families will qualify for child care tuition assistance by the end of this year. If you or anyone you know has tried to find childcare, you know how significant this is. The tuition support and the increased capacity is huge for families and for programs. I’m a director of a childcare program in Williston, and we have families coming from more than a dozen towns in Chittenden and neighboring counties, and families have benefited from Act 76 and so has our program. In fact, Act 76 has helped our doors stay open and make sure we can continue to provide care for almost 50 children on a daily basis. I continue to feel hopeful because the early progress we’re seeing from Act 76 shows that solving our child care crisis is within reach through continued public investment, thanks to the work of our dedicated lawmakers. That’s why we need to make sure we continue to have people who understand this issue representing us in the State House.

As budget development season approaches, I have been reflecting on what the school budget represents to the members of our ACSD community. Most importantly, our budget represents the mission and vision of the district, which reflect the values of our member towns and serves as the School Board’s commitment to uphold those values. Operationally, the budget is the financial pathway to achieving equitable educational outcomes, a critical strategic blueprint for our professional teams, who guide the learning of our 1,650 PreK-12 students. Currently, the budget also represents the primary economic driver of property tax rates, an important variable to control for the sake of affordable residency. Each of us likely views our school budget in a unique combination of these perspectives. Our development process needs to honor them all.