by Anne Galloway, vtdigger.org The House gave initial approval to a property tax rate bill that will raise rates by 4 cents for residential property and 7.5 cents for nonresidential property.
Representatives also approved a six year phase out of the $7.7 million small schools grant as part of a package of changes to the state’s education financing law. Starting in 2019, the grant program would be reduced by one-third each year for three years.
More than 100 small schools in Vermont receive a grant from the state.
Similar proposals from the House Ways and Means Committee have been vehemently rejected in years past, but this session, lawmakers, many of whom represent districts with small schools, narrowly defeated an amendment from Rep. Vicki Strong, R-Craftsbury, that would have kept the grant program in place.
Photo courtesy of vtdigger.org
Lawmakers gave passionate speeches for and and against the amendment.
Strong told her colleagues that without the small schools grant, her district would have to cut staff and that would hurt the educational quality of the schools.
Rep. Dave Sharpe, D-Bristol a member of House Ways and Means, countered that Craftsbury and other rural districts have among the lowest tax rates in the state in part because taxpayers in more populated areas subsidize small schools.
“What the small schools grant does is lower the tax rate for small schools, and the rest of us subsidize it,” Sharpe said.
“We passed Act 153 to provide incentives to encourage school districts to merge while at the same time using a subsidy to encourage schools not to merge does that make sense? I think not,” he continued.
Rep. John Moran, D-Wardsboro, said his district would lose $386,000 and as a result the high quality programs for children would be at risk.
“All schools are geographically challenged, if the point of this is to force consolidation, this is a disservice,” Moran said.
The vote was 61 for the Strong amendment and 77 against.
Rep. Tom Koch, R-Barre Town said he voted no with “deep regret.”
“The fact that we can no longer afford our small schools tells us how much Vermont has changed,” Koch said.
Sharpe said he voted no because “there are no large schools in Vermont. Perhaps what we need to do is give a small schools grant to every school in Vermont!”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:57 a.m. April 4.
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Bartholomew of Hartland Beyor of Highgate Bouchard of Colchester Burke of Brattleboro Buxton of Tunbridge Campion of Bennington Carr of Brandon Connor of Fairfield Corcoran of Bennington Cross of Winooski Davis of Washington * Devereux of Mount Holly Ellis of Waterbury Feltus of Lyndon French of Randolph Gallivan of Chittenden Goodwin of Weston Grad of Moretown Haas of Rochester Hebert of Vernon Higley of Lowell Huntley of Cavendish Johnson of Canaan Juskiewicz of Cambridge Kilmartin of Newport City Krebs of South Hero Larocque of Barnet Lawrence of Lyndon Lewis of Berlin Malcolm of Pawlet Manwaring of Wilmington Marcotte of Coventry Martin of Springfield Martin of Wolcott McCormack of Burlington Michelsen of Hardwick Miller of Shaftsbury Moran of Wardsboro Morrissey of Bennington Myers of Essex Nuovo of Middlebury Pearce of Richford Potter of Clarendon Quimby of Concord Ralston of Middlebury Shaw of Pittsford Shaw of Derby Smith of New Haven South of St. Johnsbury Spengler of Colchester Stevens of Waterbury Stevens of Shoreham Strong of Albany Toleno of Brattleboro Toll of Danville Trieber of Rockingham Van Wyck of Ferrisburgh Weed of Enosburgh Woodward of Johnson Young of Glover Zagar of Barnard McFaun of Barre Town Mitchell of Fairfax Mook of Bennington Mrowicki of Putney O’Brien of Richmond O’Sullivan of Burlington Peltz of Woodbury Poirier of Barre City Pugh of South Burlington Rachelson of Burlington Ram of Burlington Russell of Rutland City Ryerson of Randolph Savage of Swanton Scheuermann of Stowe Sharpe of Bristol * Stuart of Brattleboro Sweaney of Windsor Terenzini of Rutland Town Till of Jericho Townsend of South Burlington Turner of Milton Vowinkel of Hartford
Those who voted in the negative are:
Ancel of Calais Bissonnette of Winooski Botzow of Pownal Branagan of Georgia Brennan of Colchester Burditt of West Rutland Canfield of Fair Haven Christie of Hartford Cole of Burlington Condon of Colchester Conquest of Newbury Consejo of Sheldon Cupoli of Rutland City Dakin of Chester Deen of Westminster Donaghy of Poultney Donahue of Northfield Donovan of Burlington Emmons of Springfield Evans of Essex Fagan of Rutland City Fay of St. Johnsbury Fisher of Lincoln Frank of Underhill Gage of Rutland City Greshin of Warren Head of South Burlington Heath of Westford Helm of Fair Haven Hooper of Montpelier Hoyt of Norwich Hubert of Milton
Jewett of Ripton Johnson of South Hero Keenan of St. Albans City Kitzmiller of Montpelier Klein of East Montpelier Koch of Barre Town * Komline of Dorset Krowinski of Burlington Kupersmith of South Burlington Lanpher of Vergennes Lenes of Shelburne Macaig of Williston Marek of Newfane McCarthy of St. Albans City McCullough of Williston Waite-Simpson of Essex Webb of Shelburne Wilson of Manchester Winters of Williamstown Yantachka of Charlotte Wizowaty of Burlington
Wright of Burlington
Those members absent with leave of the House and not voting are:
Batchelor of Derby Browning of Arlington Clarkson of Woodstock Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford Dickinson of St. Albans Partridge of Windham Town Pearson of Burlington Jerman of Essex Lippert of Hinesburg Masland of Thetford