This commentary is by Rep. Laura Sibilia of I-Dover.
For many years, numerous factors outside of a school district's control have influenced school budgets and tax rates. These include changing demographics, disruption from the pandemic, the end of federal funding, and major flaws in capital accounting in the education financing mechanism.
Gov. Phil Scott and the Legislature have responded to these challenges by periodically lowering tax rates one year at a time, potentially delaying difficult budget deliberations.
In addition to these challenges, there are also a number of state-led spending and unfunded mandates passed by Congress and supported by the governor. PCB remediation, universal school lunches, teacher pension promises, and the funding needed to keep school districts clean by looking at weight revisions added more than $100 million in state-directed spending last year to the education fund. had a direct impact on
Additionally, initiatives such as early college, flexible career paths, and payments for private afterschool facilities reduce public school system funding and programs, leading to higher tax rates.
Despite these challenges, state leaders are doing little to ease the burden on schools and taxpayers.
State leaders repeatedly neglect and spend money from education funds while failing to acknowledge the role we play in exacerbating these challenges. Congressional proposals to raise taxes to pay for state-led education spending are unlikely to gain support because the governor is adamantly opposed to taxes and fees.
As a result, property taxes will be needed to fill the gap.
Overwhelmed districts also have challenges securing the technical support they need to address the myriad modernization and architectural challenges. The governor's administration has experienced vacancies across government agencies and departments, including the Office of Education. The governor's recent nomination of a new education secretary was long overdue, one year after the resignation of Dan French. The State Board of Education places too much emphasis on private school regulations.
As the session draws to a close, lawmakers are being asked for suggestions on how to address education funding. I made recommendations regarding accountability and transparency. The last education bill of the year, the education tax bill, or yield bill, would also propose amendments that would allow state-sponsored spending proposals to be considered in a standalone bill, passed by a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate. is. .
I will also propose greater transparency around state-directed spending in a letter from the Tax Commissioner every December 1. This information could help state leaders be more accountable for their impact on property tax rates.
Performative attitudes about raising property taxes are common, but there is a general lack of leadership in this area. It is time for the Legislature and the Governor to recognize the underlying issues, distinguish between local and state-directed spending, and provide consistent oversight of our publicly funded education system.
We need to end short-term adjustments and fixes, such as interest rate hoarding, and establish public processes to address the sustainability, accountability, and quality of our public education system.
Investing in education is the most important public investment our community will make in the future, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our education system receives adequate support and oversight at the local and state level. is.
Reach out to elected leaders to identify and implement sustainable solutions that pay for state-directed spending, end short-term fixes to our fiscal system, and prioritize the needs of both students and taxpayers. Please call for a public process. .