Twenty-five years ago the Vermont Supreme Court declared the state’s education funding system to be unconstitutional. More than a third of the state’s residents are too young to remember what was happening back then. And more than half of Vermonters now over 25 moved here from somewhere else. It’s safe to say, for many Vermonters, the old Foundation Plan and the ruling that ended it are distant or non-existent memories.

A brief retrospective is in order.

Gov. Phil Scott urged legislators Tuesday to make rebuilding Vermont’s labor force a top priority this session. The labor force was down by 24,000 since February 2020, the governor said before laying out a laundry list of investments—from both federal and state funds—to boost training, incentives, and job opportunities to attract more workers.

Vermont’s labor force had been declining before the pandemic, so the governor is right to focus on the problem early in his Budget Address. But the solution to the current labor shortage is not all about workers. The governor could have reminded employers that they have a role, too.

The Legislative Task Force looking at changes to the state’s school funding system deserves Vermonters’ thanks for work it did over the last six months. The committee, officially known by the unwieldy name “Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting Factors Report,” released its report and recommendations last Friday. Read more

We’ve all heard the complaint: Why does Vermont education spending continue to rise when student enrollment has declined?

The answer can be found in the UVM student weighting study released in late 2019 and in the spotlight for the last 6 months. Read more

Every year the governor and his administration invite the public to comment on budget priorities as they develop next year’s spending plan. The governor kicks off the state budget process each year by putting together a budget proposal that he delivers to the Legislature in January. Read more

Public Assets Institute is seeking a manager for the Fund Vermont’s Future (FVF) Campaign.

The FVF Campaign aims to change how state priorities and budgets are developed and funded by centering people at every stage of the process, shifting from a scarcity mindset, and budgeting transparently with meaningful public input. FVF is a coalition-based project of Public Assets Institute.

The Campaign Manager will oversee campaign development, implementation, and management and help with both field and legislative advocacy campaign plans, expanding the FVF coalition, building partnerships, educating policymakers and the public, and shaping the public debate. The Manager will provide administrative support to the Campaign Steering Committee.

Right now, Vermont municipalities have an opportunity to make investments that will move their communities forward with federal pandemic relief funds. You may be asking: How is my community using these funds? How can I participate in the process?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocated over $200 million to Vermont cities, towns, and villages (see how much your town received here). This is nearly 40 percent of the amount collected in local taxes in 2020. The money can be spent broadly on costs incurred through 2024 to address COVID-19 impacts, giving local governments the chance to help residents rebuild and recover from the pandemic.

The pandemic has demanded quick responses from government over the past 18 months, from protecting public health to making sure Vermonters had food, shelter, and financial security during an unprecedented economic rollercoaster.

On the whole, our government has gotten a lot of things right: access to testing and treatment for COVID-19, a massive vaccine rollout in a matter of weeks, and financial support to Vermonters who needed it. Most of the funding came from the feds, but the Vermont Legislature and the governor deserve a lot of credit for their part in the pandemic response.

Now as more and more Vermonters are vaccinated and the economy has started to stabilize, we’re starting to see divides re-emerge.

Student weighting dominates a lot of discussions around Vermont school funding these days. I guess that’s what we should expect after the release of a report to the Legislature titled: “Study of Pupil Weights in Vermont’s Education Funding Formula.” But the study also raises broader questions about money and education. Read more

During the pandemic, did unemployment benefits, housing supports, or food aid help you make ends meet? Has poor internet made it difficult to learn or work remotely? Over the summer, did Lake Champlain’s closed beaches prevent you from cooling off?

Now is your chance to weigh in on how government can support Vermonters going forward. The legislature is seeking input on how to use the federal American Rescue Plan funds. They have already allocated nearly half of the $1.05 billion on:

• the recovery of Vermonters, work force development and business supports
• housing development
• broadband development
• climate change mitigation
• clean water initiatives.