2011-2012 VSBA Resolutions
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I. GOVERNANCE, LOCAL AND STATE |
A. THE
ROLE OF LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS
Education in Vermont is overseen
by local school boards. Each local board
serves as the Board of Trustees for education on behalf of the entire
community. It is entrusted with assuring
that the young people of the community receive a high quality education and
that taxpayers are receiving an excellent return on their investment of tax
dollars.
B.
THE ESSENTIAL WORK OF SCHOOL BOARDS
Each school
board is responsible for leadership in the following areas:
Create
a vision for education in the community. Answer the questions: What do you want
students to know? What kind of
experiences do you want them to have?
What kind of long-term outcomes do you desire?
Establish
policy parameters to carry out that vision. Establish the district’s priorities. Define parameters for carrying out the
educational program. Define any limitations to be placed on the administration.
Hire
a superintendent to administer the district to achieve the vision. Provide the latitude to do the job. Hold the superintendent accountable for
results.
Monitor
progress toward the vision.
Determine indicators which need to be monitored on a regular basis and
assure a plan to regularly monitor performance.
Develop
and adopt a budget to support the vision and monitor plan vs actual expenses.
Assure the budget reflects the vision and the values of the district and
the community.
Advocate
for education within the community.
Be sure your community understands the needs of the local education
system and is supportive of the education being provided to young people. Encourage community involvement.
Meet
other legal requirements—serving
as a quasi-judicial board to resolve disputes on appeal and negotiating
collective bargaining agreements with teachers and other staff.
Be
sure the system is operated ethically. Acknowledge that members carry no power
outside of the context of the board.
Assure no actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Adopt and adhere to a code of conduct.
C. SUPERVISORY
UNIONS
The VSBA is
committed to achieving strong education governance—with boards being overseers
of education and administrators operating the education program on their
behalf. In many areas, this model can
be readily achieved through the current structure of single supervisory
districts or through small, relatively compatible supervisory unions. However, in some locations there are
significant challenges where supervisory unions have many districts or
disparate cultures or interests. VSBA
believes that more work is needed to develop effective governance models in all
areas of Vermont. Until such work is
done, VSBA opposes any further mandated centralization of functions within
supervisory unions and recommends that provisions of Act 153 relative to the
centralization of functions and services be revisited.
D. LOCAL DECISION MAKING
Local school
boards have been given responsibilities by state statute to oversee public
education in their districts and to make the important decisions necessary to
assure the provision of high quality education in an efficient and effective
manner. As local boards are
accountable, they must be assured that there is no state interference in their
decision-making responsibilities.
E. BOARD DEVELOPMENT
School boards
have a large responsibility in overseeing the educational system in an
increasingly complex environment. School board members should expect to have
readily available opportunities for new member orientation and mentoring and
for ongoing training. Board members have
the duty to seek out and participate in these opportunities.
F. ROLE OF THE STATE IN
EDUCATION (New)
The VSBA believes that the role of
the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education is:
1) To guide the creation of a broad design for
the education system in a rapidly changing world where information is no longer
confined to books or geographic locations.
The broad design must include a focus on strong student achievement, the development of
the “complete child”, strong value on community ownership of education, strong
engagement of all children and their families, and career and college
readiness.
2) To provide support for local boards in their
efforts to design and implement the best possible educational program.
3) To promote equity of educational opportunity
for students throughout Vermont.
VSBA desires to be a strong
partner with the State Board of Education in overseeing Vermont’s education
system. VSBA believes that the State
Board should include an active school board member, an administrator and a teacher. The Governor should consult with the VSBA in
the selection of the school board member.
The VSBA
supports public school innovation which can offer rich and diverse educational
opportunities for all students. VSBA supports the recommendations of the
2001-2002 Charter School Study Commission that state that Vermont should not
enact charter school enabling legislation because existing law allows for the
establishment of new schools, programs or "'schools-within-schools"
that can readily accomplish many of the goals that
larger, urban school systems in other states seek in charter schools. By drawing funds away from existing small
public schools, charter school legislation may undermine the ability of public
schools to serve the educational needs of Vermont's children.
While the existing
law allows the granting of waivers to schools relative to meeting specific
regulations, all publicly supported schools should adhere to state or
comparable standards and administer the statewide assessments.
H. TECHNICAL EDUCATION
The VSBA
supports efforts to create an integrated system of technical education that
will provide high quality learning opportunities available to all students
statewide. To that end, we support the
effective coordination of academic and technical education governance.
VSBA supports
governance models that assure a majority presence of publicly elected officials
who can be held accountable for the public funds invested in technical centers.
I. STUDENTS ON LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS
VSBA believes
that local school boards benefit from having an ongoing student voice in their
discussions of all school matters that are not subjects of executive
sessions. While VSBA encourages its
members to include students as active participants in the consideration of
educational issues, the Association favors the participation of students as
non-voting members and opposes a legislative mandate on this issue.
J. BOARD REORGANIZATION
VSBA supports a
clarification of state law to allow school boards to remove a board officer and
elect new board officer(s) at any time such action is deemed appropriate by a
two-thirds majority of the board.
K. SELECTION OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
The VSBA
supports the appointment of the commissioner of education by the State Board of
Education for the following reasons:
1. The
oversight of public education, unlike other state services, has been delegated
by the General Assembly to locally elected officials. The highest state level educational official
should not be subject to the partisan political agenda of any single
individual.
2. Educational
change is a long term process requiring constancy of purpose and stability that
could be undermined by making the position a political appointment by governors
serving two-year terms.
3. As
the only constitutionally mandated service, public education requires an
independent voice to advocate for the long-term best interests of Vermont’s
children.
4. Expanding
the authority of the governor with regard to the appointment of commissioner
from its current veto power to a gubernatorial appointment would shift the
balance of power between the legislature and the administration.
5. The
current law ensures that the background of the commissioner will include an
intimate understanding of public education.
L. PROPOSAL ON HEALTH
The VSBA
supports a statewide cost effective health care plan that provides coverage to
all Vermonters and urges the state legislature to create and implement such a
plan.
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II. FINANCE |
VSBA
supports the maintenance of “...substantially equal access to a quality basic
education…” for all of Vermont’s children as required by the Vermont Supreme
Court in its Brigham decision,
and as legislatively promised in 16
V.S.A. §1.
It is the duty of the State of Vermont to ensure fiscal
equity for all school districts to allow equal educational opportunities for
all students. Significant state expenditure is required to equalize the
financial resources of districts and maintain the educational opportunities of
students.
B. SPECIAL
EDUCATION
The
VSBA supports a funding system that reflects a district’s implementation of identified
best practices within a system that recognizes special education as one
component of an integrated educational system.
VSBA supports a funding system that does not impose arbitrary caps on
the State’s contribution as long as districts can demonstrate responsible
implementation and management of programs and finance. In addition, the VSBA supports a special
education funding formula that shares the costs of special education equitably
across districts statewide.
VSBA
supports Act 34 of 2001 which states that “Human services are primarily the
responsibility of the state and federal governments. Therefore, it shall be the
goal of the general assembly to develop a system in which the costs of special
education services delivered by human service providers shall be paid for
primarily by federal and state general fund dollars.” VSBA urges the General Assembly to assure the
adoption and implementation of an interagency agreement between the Department
of Education and the Agency of Human Services that appropriately defines
special education services that are not primarily educational in nature and to
assure that those services are provided through general funds.
VSBA
urges the federal government to contribute its promised share of special
education funding through IDEA and supports the necessary changes in federal
law to allow local districts to use federal special education funds to reduce
the local share of special education expenditures as long as appropriate
services are provided to the identified students.
VSBA
supports a federal requirement for states to maintain their percentage share of
financial support for special education as federal share increases.
C. CAPITAL
SPENDING
1. General
Education Construction: Schools require predictability and stability in state
aid in order to plan successfully over the long term. The VSBA supports reinstitution of 30 percent
or more in state reimbursement aid for all eligible capital expenses, and
supports applying this reimbursement rate to any eligible capital expenses
incurred during the school construction aid moratorium enacted in Act 52 of
2007 by the Vermont General Assembly.
2. School
Building Consolidation: The VSBA
supports school building consolidation projects when the local school district
or districts believes the result will be greater cost effectiveness or improved
educational outcomes for students. The
VSBA supports extending indefinitely 50 percent state reimbursement aid for
school building consolidation projects as provided under 16 V.S.A. §
3448(a)(7)(C).
3. Technical
Education Capital Expenses: The VSBA
urges the General Assembly to support technical education capital funding at
100%.
4. The
VSBA encourages the state to support capital expenses for innovative
technology, particularly projects that increase capacity for high speed
Internet access and computer technology in public schools and vocational
centers and their surrounding communities in Vermont.
D. DATA
COLLECTION & REPORTING
The
passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act as
well as state and local needs make the necessity for accurate and informative
data more important than ever. The
legislature should continue to fund the integration and close linkage of state
and local information systems to maximize the efficiency and productivity of
data collection, analysis and reporting at both levels.
1. The
State Department of Education should promulgate consistent and understandable
definitions of data.
2. The
Department must analyze and coordinate all its requests for data from local districts
to assure that all such data are needed and utilized in a way that improves
student learning.
3. All
requirements for information from local districts should be accompanied by a
streamlined and easy‑to‑use mechanism for
collection and submission with the goal of reducing the negative impact on
local districts.
The
VSBA strongly supports the protection of student privacy rights. Any data collection, maintenance or
distribution system must be developed with the primary objective of protecting personally
identifiable information about students.
E. ADULT STUDENTS IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION
The
VSBA urges the state legislature to fund 100% of the costs of educating, in
technical education centers, persons over 21 years of age who lack high school
diploma and are not enrolled for purposes of pursuing graduation from a high
school or technical center.
F. USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
The
VSBA does not support channeling tax dollars directly to private educational
institutions in districts that provide public schools for the education of
local students, except at the discretion of local school boards as allowed by
current law. VSBA opposes indirect
support to private educational institutions through the granting of tax credits
or tax subsidies targeted to the tuition or expenses. Public education funds in Vermont districts
that operate schools should be directed to the improvement of those public
schools that serve the vast majority of Vermont students. This resolution is not directed at districts
that do not operate schools for some or all grade levels and pay tuition on
behalf of their students.
G. CONSOLIDATION
VSBA
supports the efforts of boards to increase educational opportunities, improve
outcomes for students, and achieve efficiencies. Boards should have the greatest number of
options available to them to achieve those objectives. VSBA supports clearer laws and procedures
around such actions as the formation of Regional Education Districts, the
creation of joint contracts, and the joining of supervisory unions. VSBA
believes that any decision to consolidate districts must be a local
decision.
H. VALUATION
OF PROPERTY FOR EDUCATION TAX PURPOSES
The VSBA fully supports a more
equitable system of calculating common level of appraisal. Such a system should
include such approaches as:
·
Automatically excluding high value outliers from
calculations;
·
Re-examining how properties are categorized;
·
Limiting the punitive impacts of annual
changes in a community’s CLA that result from local reappraisals.
I. INDEX
FOR THE BASE EDUCATION AMOUNT
VSBA urges the legislature in conjunction
with VSBA and other organizations to develop an appropriate index for the base
education amount that incorporates an objective measure of actual educational
expenses.
The 2010 legislature should reverse the action
taken in 2009 of freezing future growth in the base education amount without
regard to unavoidable increases in education expenses at the local level.
J. FLEXIBILITY IN MEDICAID SPENDING
VSBA urges the Vermont General Assembly to
modify 16 V.S.A. §2959a(e) to
allow school districts more flexibility to spend Medicaid reimbursement funds
in ways that will best benefit the district including use for the services that
generate the reimbursements.
K. USE OF THE EDUCATION FUND
The VSBA
strongly supports the intended limitations on the use of the Education Fund,
and opposes any diversion of funds raised through the statewide property tax to
programs not within the jurisdiction of public school districts or supervisory
unions.
L. CONTROL OF SCHOOL
SPENDING
School boards play all three governmental roles in their
districts: they function as the legislature, the executive and also the
judiciary. They should have broad authority and discretion to develop
strategies to carry out high quality education and to propose to voters the
level of funding they determine is needed to provide effective education.
M. UNFUNDED MANDATES
All
new educational requirements or programs mandated by the federal government or
the State of Vermont should be fully funded by either the federal or state
government.
N. STUDENT TRANSFERS
The legislature
should provide a mechanism to allow for preK through
grade 8 student ADM transfers or tuition terms within a supervisory union on
terms agreed to by sending and receiving school boards with approval of the
Superintendent.
O. INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FUNDING
The
VSBA supports limitations to ensure that public funds are used to support only
independent schools that are approved to and do provide education services to
students with specific learning needs or that provide services to all segments
of the student population regardless of their needs.
P. TUITION
UNDER/OVER CHARGES
The VSBA
supports the study of tuition undercharges and overcharges required by Section
20 of Act 153 of 2010, and urges General Assembly to take expeditious and
appropriate action to address the conclusions and recommendations of the study
during the first year of the 2011-2012 legislative biennium
with an emphasis on the uncontrolled and unanticipated nature of charge backs
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III. INSTRUCTION |
A. STUDENT
ASSESSMENT
The
State should maintain its practice of standards-based assessment and reevaluate
its assessment program in the context of the 2001 ESEA - No Child Left
Behind. Tests mandated or recommended
should provide accurate and reliable information that can be used to guide
instructional practice leading to improved student achievement. Tests and related costs of administration and
teacher professional development mandated by either the state or federal
governments should be funded entirely by the governmental entity imposing the
requirement. The Vermont Department of Education should also continue to
support development and administration of local assessment plans which may
include national norm-referenced achievement and/or aptitude tests as well as
other locally administered evaluation methods.
As the reliability of additional local assessments is assured, it may be
of value to give more weight to local assessments in the State’s Accountability
System.
B. ASSESSMENT
UNDER NCLB
The
Congress reaffirm its commitment to public schools by amending the No Child
Left Behind Act to assess students with disabilities in ways different from the
rest of the student population if their disabilities prevent them from
achieving the standard at the same time and in the same way that other students
achieve the standard.
The VSBA calls
upon our US Congressional Delegation to take action immediately to suspend the
punitive sanctions of NCLB until such time as the US Congress votes to
reauthorize the legislation.
The VSBA also
calls upon other Vermont education organizations to endorse this action.
C. GROWTH MODELS
The
VSBA urges the State Board of Education and Department of Education to actively
pursue opportunities to determine whether a growth model approach to NCLBA
testing would benefit Vermont students and produce more accurate measures of
school success, and should implement a growth model system that will produce
those results.
D. STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS: USES
The VSBA recognizes the value
of standardized assessments as one tool to be used in evaluating student
performance. It must be used in
conjunction with other means of evaluation to present an accurate picture of
student achievement. The VSBA does not
support the use of standardized assessments alone to determine the success of
schools, to evaluate teacher performance, to promote students from grade to
grade or as a final “gate” to a high school diploma.
State
funds should be directed at measures that will have the greatest effect on
student progress than the creation of new standardized assessments.
Primary
concern must be given to the protection of student privacy when data on assessment
results is collected or disseminated.
Inaccurate
testing results due to small sample sizes should not be reported to the public
or used to penalize schools and students unfairly.
E. SPECIAL
EDUCATION
1.
The VSBA supports the research and auditing
(program and finance) being done by the Department of Education on best
practices and urges that benchmarks for accountability in programming and
financial matters be developed for application statewide. The State should
assist local school districts and agencies in collaborating to create shared
programs, services and resources to serve students who cannot be served
appropriately in regular classrooms.
2.
Congress should follow its original
intention of funding 40% of the average per pupil cost of education for each
special education student in the U.S. and should make this appropriation a
mandatory one. Additionally, the IDEA should require states to maintain their
percentage level of funding from year to year.
Congress should continue to amend the 1997 IDEA to restore balance and
common sense to the implementation of programs for special education in local
school districts. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Education and/or the
state of Vermont should implement rules that reflect the intent of the
law. Issues needing resolution include:
a) allowing
schools to implement a single system of discipline for all students regardless
of disability and allowing flexible responses to disruptive or unsafe behavior
without burdensome and unnecessary process;
b) reducing
unnecessary paperwork and simplifying
procedures and excessively technical requirements that focus more on
process than education;
c) providing
federal funding of interagency programs to evaluate and serve the developmental
and educational needs of children with disabilities from birth to age three and
for the non-educational needs for school-aged children;
d) changes
in federal “supplanting” law to allow local districts to use federal special
education funds to reduce the local share of special education expenditures as
long as appropriate services are provided to identified students;
e) creating
financial incentives for the training and recruitment of special educators;
f) minimizing
the costs of due process for school districts and providing a statute of
limitations for claims against districts;
g) ensuring
that Vermont state law and rules governing special education impose no mandates
beyond those already required by federal law; and
h) refrain from adding any new mandates to local
responsibilities without accompanying funding.
3. The VSBA supports providing a free and
appropriate education to children with disabilities in the least restrictive
environment that is consistent with maintaining a safe and productive classroom
learning environment for all students.
The VSBA supports an integrated public education system
with a strong Educational Support System in each school designed to meet the
needs of all students including those with special education needs. Schools are
accountable for the outcomes of all student education.
F. SCHOOL CHOICE
VSBA
recognizes the varied learning styles and needs of students and supports the
provision of multiple options for student learning in the public schools. The Association supports the maintenance of
the parameters of Act 150 of 2000 and the thorough monitoring of its outcomes.
VSBA urges the legislature to examine closely all ramifications of the law to
understand the effects on those students who choose new schools and those who
do not, as well as the impact on all schools.
Vermont needs to recognize the
long history of school choice in many towns and to leave in place that status
quo. VSBA is concerned that expanded
school choice for all other towns could have significant unintended consequences. If this option is to be seriously considered,
it requires extensive study with substantial involvement by VSBA.
G. UNIFORM KINDERGARTEN ENTRANCE AGE
VSBA
supports the establishment of a common statewide entrance age for kindergarten.
School districts should be authorized to grant waivers in accordance with board
policies and procedures. The recommended
age should be consistent with research results on child development and
successful school experience. This
effort should be accompanied by expansion of opportunities for pre-school
education to ensure adequate preparation for school success.
H. NATIONAL TEACHER CERTIFICATION
The
VSBA encourages the State of Vermont to continue to support teachers in
becoming National Board certified by paying for all or part of the
certification program.
I. STUDENT BEHAVIOR
Based
on studies underway, the state should take the lead in assuring that there are
adequate alternative placements for students who are unable to participate
appropriately in the traditional school environment and that an equitable
funding mechanism is devised to support ongoing education for these
students. The state should play a role
in facilitating regional efforts where needed and appropriate. The state
legislature should also take the lead in revamping Vermont’s truancy laws so
they are effective and enforceable while supporting local programs that
encourage and motivate students to complete their education.
J. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS
Ongoing
professional development is critical to high quality teaching. However, the scheduling of professional
development workshops and training by the Department of Education, Vermont
colleges, universities, and other education agencies should make every effort
to conduct professional development activities at times other than during the
school day when attendance by classroom teachers requires that substitutes be
hired to take regular teachers' place in the classroom.
K. SCHOOL TIME
VSBA
sees a need for more learning time for students and for more educator
preparation, coordination, and professional development time. The VSBA urges
the General Assembly to support school districts in their efforts to use
current time better and to find innovative ways to provide the increased
student and educator time that may include weekend and summer schools, common
in-service days, and mentoring among other methods. The state should research,
develop and support pilot programs that demonstrate better use of time.
Decisions
such as the length of the school day or the school week should be made at the
local level. The Legislature should direct the Commissioner of Education to
make available assistance to districts that wish to consider the financial and
academic effects of adopting alternatives.
L. CURRICULUM
The
Vermont Framework for Standards and Learning Opportunities, which articulates
standards for what students should know and be able to do, was developed with
full public participation and may be amended as needed and appropriate. Local school districts, coordinating through
their supervisory unions, should continue to have sole responsibility for
determining the specific curricula that will allow students to reach
appropriate standards. The Vermont
School Boards Association opposes legislation that either mandates or prohibits
specific curricula, or that otherwise narrows the ability of local schools to
manage efficiently and effectively the requirements already placed upon
them. The VSBA supports incentives to
encourage supervisory unions to align curricula among member districts.
M. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
ACT
(2001 ESEA)
1. Linkage with State Initiatives
VSBA
supports the development of state rules for the implementation of the 2001
Reauthorization of ESEA (No Child Left Behind) that require the minimum of new
initiatives.
Furthermore,
VSBA asks the Department of Education to analyze the requirements of EEOA of
1997 (Act 60) as amended and other state laws and to recommend to the General
Assembly any changes in state law that may be needed to satisfy the federal
requirements without creating duplication or misalignment of efforts regarding
accountability, school choice and other applicable areas.
2. Paraprofessional
Requirements
To
help local school boards comply with new federal law pertaining to
paraprofessional credentials, VSBA asks that Vermont Department of Education
either develop an appropriate measure of paraprofessional skills and knowledge
or recommend appropriate measures.
N. EARLY EDUCATION
The
VSBA encourages the creation of a publicly supported infrastructure of high
quality early education in Vermont.
School districts should play a central role in assuring quality and
accountability in publicly funded early education programs. Private providers of early education
services that meet high standards can and should play significant roles as
partners when school districts determine that early education services can be
efficiently and effectively provided through public-private partnerships.
O. Dual
Enrollment in Higher Education Programs
The VSBA
supports multiple options for students.
However, the use of Education Fund resources should be limited to the
support of public school districts and supervisory unions, and no Education
Funds should be used for dual enrollment in higher education unless through
decisions of local school boards.
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IV. LABOR RELATIONS |
A. BINDING INTEREST ARBITRATION
Vermont
law currently allows the electorate of local school districts to choose binding
interest arbitration as the final step in contract negotiations. State law should not be amended to impose
binding interest arbitration on local districts in their negotiations with any
school staff.
B. TEACHER RETIREMENT
VSBA
recommends the state develop a plan to contribute equally to the retirement
fund for all teachers so that the state‘s contribution is not dependent on the
salary decisions of local school districts.
The state General Fund should be used to fulfill the state’s obligation
to provide teacher retirement benefits, and resources from the Education Fund
should not be diverted for this purpose.
Nor should school districts be assessed to pay for any part of past,
current or future teacher retirement obligations.
The
State should index the retirement benefits for those already retired to assure
that benefits for retired educators keep up with inflationary cycles over time.
Furthermore,
VSBA supports an examination of the rules governing the state teachers’
retirement plan to determine whether other changes should be considered which
would enhance fairness and help to attract qualified educators to Vermont.
C. UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
Vermont
law should not mandate unemployment compensation during the summer for any
school employee who has reasonable assurance of employment for the succeeding
school year.
D. VOTER RATIFICATION OF NEGOTIATED CONTRACTS
School
Boards are elected by their communities to carry out the difficult and complex
work of overseeing the operations of schools.
VSBA believes that the authority granted to school boards as the final
decision makers to negotiate contracts is an important component of successful
bargaining and recommends that this authority remain unchanged.
C.
TEACHER
RETIREMENT SYSTEM
If
some or all of the future obligation of the teachers’ retirement system is
shifted to local school districts, that (1) the state shall remain obliged to
fund the portion of the payment that is designated as an accrued liability,
that (2) the composition of the Board of Trustees for the state teachers’
retirement system be modified to include representation from local school boards,
that (3) any increase in benefits conferred by the system be determined by
representatives of persons who would be obliged to fund those increased
benefits that. (4) any financial impact on the education fund caused by this
shift should result in a one-time adjustment on the base education amount and a
commensurate increase in the general fund shift percentage to the education fund
that (5) no fund shift occur without a full analysis of the legal implications
of such a shift, especially to Act 60, Act 68, Act 82 and general tax law; as
well as the retirement fund structure itself.
D.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES IN SCHOOLS
School district employees accept
employment in schools knowing that the work is available only during the school
year. Schools cannot be responsible for
providing unemployment compensation to those employees during school vacations
and the summer months, when there is reasonable assurance that the work will
continue when students return.
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V. MISCELLANEOUS |
A. TUITION RATES
The VSBA believes
that tuition rates should be established on a nondiscriminatory basis,
and that administrative procedures be established to enable sending and
receiving school districts to resolve disagreements over tuition rates in an
efficient, fair and objective manner.
D.
SECURITY
The VSBA believes 1 V.S.A. §313(a) should be amended
to include security of school property including buildings, grounds and buses
as legitimate reason to enter into executive session.
E.
Social
and medical services provided in schools
VSBA supports
the delivery of social and medical services in public schools, by use of
contracted services for which Vermont schools are reimbursed at full actual
cost.
F.
Repeal
of H.526 (Act 82)
VSBA supports
the repeal of Act 82. We support a
complete analysis of the expectations of public schools, the cost drivers in
public education, the ongoing cost-shifts from human services to public
education, the burdens placed on school districts by legislative and
administrative requirements, the most cost-effective ways to deliver services
provided by school districts and the fairest way to pay for those services to
inform future legislation.