MIDDLESEX, Vt. (WCAX) – All eyes are on Town Meeting Day next week where proposed school budgets are projected to cause an eye-popping 20% average increase in education property taxes.
A Town Meeting Day like no other is just days away for Flor Diaz Smith.
“I’m stressed about this Tuesday. I’m worried a lot of budgets including ours might fail,” said Diaz, who chairs the Washington Central Unified Union School District Board.
Middlesex, one of five towns comprising the WCUUSD, has a history of approving its school budgets. But this year they’re now staring down a forecasted 21% property tax increase. A home worth $300,000 would take on $1,162 in new taxes.
Smith says her district has a long-term plan to bring down costs and hopes voters will see the pressure schools are under. “We set parameters, we don’t micromanage how the money is allocated,” she said.
On Tuesday, most towns will vote on their local school budgets, which are crafted at the local level but come out of the statewide Education Fund, which affects what we all pay.
Before long, people are going to be forced to leave because they just can’t pay the taxes. People who have been their whole lives and bought their property relatively cheaply in the day. Now, everything is going up,” Marilyn Bush of Calais, another WCUUSD town.
Many people we spoke with say they are conflicted about this year’s budget vote, seeing the need to support students in an equitable way but balancing it with concerns about affordability.
“They need a level where they can support themselves and not get overwhelmed by taxes,” said Jane Caron of Marshfield.
In Berlin, where Governor Phil Scott lives, property taxes are slated to rise $450 for every $100,000 of assessed value. “It’s a significant increase, so I would have to say I’m leaning toward voting against it. But I want to be fair and read the information first,” he said.
School spending is up across the board this year, fueled by inflation, deferred school maintenance, teacher’s health care, mental and behavioral support for students, and the end of pandemic cash.
If districts around the state are not able to pass a plan by the new fiscal year on July 1, they will have to operate on last year’s budget — which means cuts.
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