This commentary is by Marc Schauber of Dover, a member of the River Valleys school board in Windham County. He is also founder and president of the nonprofit Emergency Medical Services Fund Inc. He is speaking only for himself.
The VTDigger article Feb. 28, “Vermont is due for a school finance overhaul, but the pandemic will delay it,” indicates the state Senate will not pass a pupil weighting factors correction bill in time for crossover.
As justification for slowing the process down, Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint is quoted as saying, “I think it’s important for us as legislators to say, ‘You cannot get blood from a stone.’ It’s not fair to ask them to do this in the midst of the pandemic.”
I could not agree more.
For two decades. underweighted districts have had to squeeze blood from a stone or close schools or provide a substandard education. For two decades, underweighted districts have been unfairly asked “to do this,” pandemic or not. For two decades, underweighted districts have been telling any and everyone who would listen that the system was and is not working as intended.
Now, two decades later, nearly two generations of students have been disadvantaged for the rest of their lives. This hurts all of Vermont, our communities, our economy, our ability to grow our population, and our ability to provide jobs with living wages so there is less of a burden on the state’s social services.
Now, two decades later, Vermont can’t hold on to our population and, had it not been for the pandemic, would not have seen an influx of any new (likely temporary) residents.
Now, two decades later, the Legislature has the critical Pupil Weighting Factors Report of Dec. 24, 2019, which contains the research, mathematical and scientific evidence that many districts have in fact been grossly deprived of necessary resources. Now underweighted districts are being told by legislators “too bad, it’s too hard for us to deal with this right now.”
Implementing the report’s recommendations is not a difficult task. Too many members of the legislature, along with Education Secretary French, are putting more effort into stalling the implementation than it would take to actually implement the more equitable pupil weighting formula.
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While I understand that the bill, S.13, is what has been introduced in the Senate, it’s very important to acknowledge that another bill, H.54, introduced in the House, is a well balanced and slow implementation plan.
In order to justify not passing legislation this session, the Legislature’s new refrain is that federal money is coming in that can be used to temporarily relieve a bit of the pain. Instead, how about using that money for the parts of H.54 intended to relieve the temporary financial pain the currently overweight districts may experience under the equitable pupil weighting formula?
If it’s not too hard for the Legislature to appropriate these federal funds as a loose-fitting Band-Aid for underweighted districts, then surely it’s not too hard to appropriate those funds as a short-term fix for those districts that have had 20 years to build up reserves, their infrastructure, their processes and procedures, and their staffs.
I know Sen. Balint is sympathetic. I know she understands the problem and I know she wants to find a solution to the problem she’s facing, which is purely a political one. The math and science is clear, of that there are no disputes.
Underweighted districts cannot wait any longer. Underweighted districts, their taxpayers, and the students they serve have been told for 20 years that they had to bear the burden of a pupil weighting formula that is unconstitutional, that is unfair, that is undemocratic and that failed to accomplish what the Vermont Supreme Court’s 1997 Brigham v. State decision required.
There is no blood left in this rock. All the reasons that Sen. Balint stated for this being too hard or complex to accomplish now have been the constantly heavier weights on the shoulders of these disadvantaged districts, taxpayers and most importantly, the children. Twenty years.
The Legislature is more than capable of taking this on now. The Legislature is full of very smart people who care very much for every citizen of this state. I know Sen. Balint is one of them. Instead of backing down and complicating the issue, fight for what’s right, what’s necessary and get this done. Pushing S.13 over to the House now ensures there is plenty of time to get it right this session.
Legislators, on behalf of our schools, I give you this encouragement from Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
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Marc Schauber: Correcting pupil weights cannot wait; it’s been 20 years - vtdigger.org
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