by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org The school board consolidation bill squeaked through the Vermont House in a 75-62 vote on second reading late Tuesday night, after long-running predictions from State House insiders that the bill would not survive the House and would hit a brick wall in the Senate.Though the legislation has yet to get final approval from the House, education reform advocates have scored a major victory with the first floor vote, as the Senate Education Committee began a review of a version of the legislation on Tuesday.
H883 calls for the merger of the state’s 270-plus school districts into some 45-55 expanded school districts. The idea is that by pooling resources, talent and money, schools will become more efficient and better able to provide opportunities for students, develop unified curriculums, and set standards for best teacher practices. The bill sets deadlines for merger recommendations and implementation over a six year period. A Design Team would draw the districts after taking input from local communities.
But there is no guarantee that eliminating hundreds of school board members as part of the district mergers will save money, and many lawmakers question whether the sweeping changes outlined in H.883 will result in better academic experiences for students.
The consolidation issue, every bit as contentious as political redistricting, has divided the House — not along party lines, but along the fault line of large and small communities.
Democrats and Republicans voted no … and yes, depending on where they lived and how their constituents would be affected.
The discussion over H883 lasted more than three hours, and the debate centered on the frustration lawmakers feel about the impact of higher statewide property tax rates on taxpayers and local schools. The statewide rate increased 5 cents for residential property owners last year and will go up at least 4 cents (possibly 6 cents) this year. Next year the rate will be between 6 cents and 8 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
Taxpayers voted down 36 school budgets on Town Meeting Day. Shortly after H.883, which had been discussed in House Education, began to gain momentum.
In the extensive debate that transpired Tuesday night, a number of lawmakers faulted H.883 because it doesn’t explicitly address the education funding formula and rapidly increasing property tax rates. Detractors also complained that their districts are operating efficiently already and they don’t need Montpelier telling them how to run their schools. Critics said local school districts would lose control over budgets and management decisions.
Supporters implored colleagues to support the bill because they said it creates a vehicle for communities to share resources and think more creatively about how to offer better educational programs for children. They said it would stabilize board and administrative leadership at a time when it is difficult for many districts to find board members, principals and superintendents.
Most of the comments on the floor were against the bill. Rep. Kevin “Coach” Christie, a member of the House Education Committee, patiently answered each question with direct answers.
Rep. Chip Conquest, D-Wells River, said the state needs to identify schools that need to improve educational opportunities, but “we do not need to realign every board in the state to do that.” He worries that the consolidation effort will cause churn and take energy away from students. “We don’t know what it will cost, and we don’t know if there will be savings,” Conquest said.
“There’s a danger in passing this bill that we’ve created an environment in which making other changes is going to be more difficult going forward,” Conquest said.
Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, said she wasn’t in the State House to put through legislation that is designed to make the lives of superintendents easier. “I’m here to represent my students and my taxpayers,” she said.
“This is not what Vermonters have asked us to do. They want prop tax relief and this doesn’t do it,” Scheuermann said.
Rep. Patti Komline, R-Dorset, questioned whether the cost of consolidation will be borne by local school districts or the state. Rep. Martha Heath said local savings from consolidation and a state appropriation of $2.6 million each year would cover the costs associated with district mergers.
Komline said her constituents haven’t expressed an interest in giving up control of their budgets and local school districts, “They’ve asked for property tax reform.” Komline said the school consolidation proposal will pit towns against one another and will make the state “a house divided.”
House Speaker Shap Smith kept the debate open and did not allow points of order to be taken. The debate eventually played out, and there was only one roll call vote.
The House will take up the bill for third reading on Wednesday. The Senate Education Committee must pass out its version of the bill tomorrow in order to meet the May 10 adjournment deadline.