WOODSTOCK, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont school districts are crunching the numbers to figure out school budgets to present to voters. It comes as lawmakers are trying to hammer together an education finance reform package to address Vemonters concerns about rising costs.
As Town Meeting Day approaches, supervisory unions are drafting their individual budgets. It comes during uncertain financial times and many taxpayers are already feeling the pinch.
“We know that we are losing community members,” said Mountain View Supervisory Union Superintendent Sherry Sousa. She says the declining population is one of the main factors they are taking into account when determining their budgets. This year, the Woodstock-based SU is presenting a budget that’s roughly $2 million less than last year. Sousa says staffing cuts to pre-k, advanced placement courses, and languages are all on the table. “We wanted to present a budget not only responding to the Legislature and the yield bill, but also to our communities. We have seven different towns and they are experiencing the changes in pretty significant ways.”
Meanwhile, cuts to counselors and a PE. teachers are inevitable in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union. Superintendent Andrew Hass says rising insurance costs and decreased special ed funding from the state also play a factor. “Those are drivers that we start to look at and say, what do we need to do to meet the needs of the kids, and also, where’s our population and how do those two factor in?” Hass said.
If approved, some towns in Windham Northeast will see property tax increases between 4.5 and 7.5 percent. Others will see a small decrease. They are numbers that differ from district to district across the state, though a lot of the concerns from educators are the same.
“I think the biggest concern is how do we balance local control and the desire to have small community schools and still meet the needs of kids?” Hass said.
“I think there are some significant changes that need to happen to ensure that students in communities outside of ours have the same opportunity to access good quality education,” Sousa said.
Ultimately, local residents will get the final say when they vote at town meetings. Public hearings, where residents can voice their concerns over the budgets, are ongoing.