LETTER: State commission will address state education funding reform
July 30, 2024 | By Rep. Dara Torre To the Community:
I'm writing in response to the recent opinion piece by Rep. Pattie McCoy, R-Poultney, on property tax increases and the yield bill (“Setting the record straight on education funding in Vermont” July 24).
As our property tax bills attest, despite multiple revotes on lowered school budgets in our district and around the state, as well as added revenue from other sources, we still face a big tab to cover education costs next year. We all wanted to achieve more this session, but there are some important factors missing in Rep. McCoy's assertion that the Legislature could have enacted more cost-containment ideas from Gov. Phil Scott and his administration in the yield bill.
Many of the cost-containment ideas she listed are longstanding recommendations that will be under review in the inclusive, consensus-building process underway now. I have only one term of experience in the State House, but I witnessed how essential it is to have some consensus and trust-building around complex issues in place before the part-time Legislature makes major changes in a short session. I also learned that we have not done the important work of creating a vision of the education system we need now in Vermont.
The Commission on the Future of Public Education the Legislature created in the yield bill is already at work, and one of our Washington County state senators, Ann Cummings, and our Harwood Unified Union School District Superintendent Mike Leichliter, are actively participating. You can follow the work of the commission and learn how to join upcoming public meetings at the Agency of Education website here.
After engaging with the education community and the public, the commission will make recommendations about how Vermont can provide and fund a high-quality education for all our students. Legislators will receive preliminary findings and short-term cost-containment recommendations by the end of the year ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
It's clear that we must transform our education system in Vermont to become right-sized, durable and supportive of all students while using our statewide resources efficiently and fairly. Also, it's all too clear that lowering the property tax hit this year by backfilling with other revenue puts us in a worse place next year. What would have happened if the Legislature had not overridden the governor's yield bill veto? We would have needed to rely more heavily on state reserves to further lower property tax bills, worsening our future financial situation to the tune of $82M, and further jeopardizing the education of Vermont's children. See the details on the costly impact of not overriding the veto in this Joint Fiscal Office note.
To hear more on education and other important work from this session, view this MRVTV recording of a recent community meeting with local state senators and Washington-2 representatives. Note that the Legislature increased the size of the property tax credit that eligible Vermonters can claim to reduce their property tax rates, lowering tax bills for people with modest or fixed incomes. You can check whether you are eligible for a property tax credit at tax.vermont.gov/property/property-tax-credit.
I look forward to many opportunities for community discussion on the big issues facing our state in the candidate forums ahead this campaign season.
Rep. Dara Torre
Moretown
Rep. Dara Torre, a Moretown Democrat, is one of two state representatives in the Washington-2 district covering Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren.