Education is necessary not just to live a satisfying and productive life, but also to participate meaningfully as a citizen in our democracy. Vermont is fortunate that its public school financing system provides an adequate, sustainable source of funding and is fairer to both taxpayers and pupils than any other system in the country. Vermont needs to ensure the continued integrity and health of its school funding system and provide a way to make college accessible and affordable to all Vermonters.
Education
IN FOCUS
September 6, 2024
Problems old and new undermine fairness for some taxpayers and districts
Vermonters have been understandably upset by the abrupt rise in their school taxes for fiscal 2025. Most of the complaints focus on the rise in spending, as does the response from policymakers. But taxpayers may also be affected by changes that make the funding system less fair.
The Agency of Education presented some clear analyses last spring explaining the main reasons for the spending increase: rises in salaries and benefits in response to inflation; health insurance cost increases exceeding inflation; the expanding need for expensive mental health services for students; the loss of federal funds the schools received as part of the pandemic-related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). There are other reasons as well, related to fiscal decisions made in the past few years. The expenditures are critical for providing kids with a quality education. But knowing that doesn’t make the tax bumps easier to take. Even modest increases can be a problem if the costs, and who pays them, are not distributed fairly.
In fact, some districts and taxpayers have been facing disproportionately higher bills for a while.
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