The 2007 session of the Vermont
General Assembly is underway. Lawmakers
convened in
Again this year, the professional associations representing educational leaders will pool resources to provide regular reports on legislative activities of particular importance to public schools. Through the publication of our Education Legislative Reports, we will provide timely information to Vermont’s school board members, superintendents, principals and other school administrators. Our intent will be to inform, and our purpose will be to equip school leaders with the information you need to communicate effectively with your local legislative representatives.
We know from experience that there is no substitute for constituent communication with legislators when it comes to effective State House advocacy. Legislators want to know how their proposals are received at home, and they understand that the best sources of information about the effects of their proposals are the people they represent.
The Education Legislative Report will be distributed primarily through email, with an Adobe Acrobat PDF file also available on each association’s web site. Our publication schedule may vary from week to week. When possible, we will publish in time to enable you to talk with your legislative representatives on weekends or Mondays, when the Legislature generally does not meet. In addition to Education Legislative Reports, we will publish Legislative Bulletins when a shorter, more concise format is called for due to developments of immediate importance to our members.
Early indications from Governor Douglas, Speaker of the House Symington and Majority Leader of the Senate Shumlin are that “property tax reform” will be the major focus of attention for both the executive and legislative branches early in this session. And, as always, other education policy issues ranging from school choice to school health and nutrition programs will be on the list of dominant subjects in the State House this year.
It is imperative that school officials understand and participate in these public policy deliberations. As bona fide experts on the delivery of public education through our local schools, you have both the obligation and the right to have your expertise considered in these discussions.
The quality of the discourse on public education issues will improve if you communicate your thoughts to your legislators. Our job is to keep you informed on what is happening in the State House so that you know when and how to weigh-in.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with your comments about the Education Legislative Report. We look forward to hearing from you. You will certainly be hearing from us!
First Class Education for Vermont – A Closer Look
Editor’s Note: The “65% Solution,” a nation-wide campaign to
constrain school budgets, was introduced in Vermont in early December by a
group calling itself “First Class Education for Vermont.” The Vermont initiative calls for individual
school district voters to impose the campaign’s budget restrictions on school
boards one at a time, rather than, as has been attempted in most states,
requiring the same limitations through a state mandate. The following summary of the 65% Solution was
prepared by David Cyprian, a public policy intern for the VSBA, VSA and VPA.
The Proposal
The 65% Solution would require that schools spend a minimum of “65 percent of their funds directly on classroom instruction.” The National Center for Educational Statistics’ (NCES) definition of “classroom instruction” would serve as the basis for determining what constitutes “in the classroom” activities. Briefly, it would includes teacher and para-educator salaries, instructional materials, extracurricular activities including athletics, arts and music, and tuition paid to out-of-district and private educational providers. The remaining 35% of school spending would be divided between all other expenditures, including transportation, professional development for educators, administrative costs, guidance counseling, libraries and food services.
First Class Education for Vermont (FCEVT), the Solution’s sponsor in Vermont, is not proposing a state mandate, as are its sister organizations in other states. Instead, FCEVT wants individuals to “encourage school boards” to adopt the proposal, and to “create an effective citizen-action movement to change Vermont’s educational priorities.”
The Proposal’s Political Origins
FCEVT and its proposal are nearly identical to several organizations in other states, and “First Class Education,” a national advocacy group. The “65% Initiative” was first proposed in Arizona by Republican political consultant Tim Mooney, and funded primarily by businessman Patrick Byrne, the founder of Overstock.com, an online merchandiser of consumer goods.
A memo written by Mr. Mooney for Arizona Republicans, reveals the political motivations behind the proposal. Education Week reports that the internal document circulated by First Class Education promotes the initiative as a way to distract the “education establishment.” The document urges support for the initiative by claiming that “every day and every dollar the education establishment uses to defeat this proposal is a day and a dollar they cannot spend on other political activities.” The memo further claims that the initiative will strengthen the public perception of Republican educational leadership by providing “a viable answer to ‘in the classroom improvement of education’ without the need to call for a tax increase.” The organization’s documents further tout the expectation that the “…proposal (will) drive a wedge between educators and administrators in the same school districts.”
The 65% Initiative and Educational Outcomes
Neither FCEVT nor its national counterpart gives compelling reasons to adhere to a 65% threshold. In fact, it appears that the 65% demarcation was arbitrarily determined by its advocates nationwide to be politically feasible. Research by Standards and Poor’s School Matters service shows “there is no significant correlation between spending any minimum percentage on instruction and student performance.” Studying data from nine states, School Matters saw no relationship between a district’s classroom spending and their NAEP scores (a national standardized test of reading, math and science proficiency).
The Proposal’s Likely Effect
Vermont school districts currently spend anywhere from 55% to 72% on classroom instruction, with the vast majority modestly below the proposed 65% threshold. The simplest way for a district to achieve the threshold might come as a surprise to the proposal’s supporters, that is, the district could spend more money! For example, a district may arbitrarily raise educator’s salaries, or purchase 25 computers, or 100 football uniforms to satisfy the mandate without focusing on educational outcomes for students.
The 65% Initiative and Vermont Students
What is most troubling about FCEVT is the effect its proposal would have on Vermont students. Guidance counselors, libraries, nutritious school meals, curriculum development, and building maintenance are just some of the important instructional support services we currently rely on to make Vermont schools first-rate. All of them would be competing for the same dollars, in most cases from a pool that would be smaller then it is today. As we are all aware, transportation costs (busing) are significantly larger in Vermont than most other states, and these needs too would cut into the 35% left over for “administrative spending.” In short, budgetary decisions made on a local level annually and every day would be hamstrung by an arbitrary threshold.
Conclusion
FCEVT’s simplistic approach to school budgeting unrealistically anoints NCES’ “classroom instruction” spending as “first class,” leaving the rest of the school in “coach.” Demanding accountability in public education spending is a laudable goal, but forcing a top-down, inflexible allocation of resources does nothing to advance that cause. Keeping spending decisions at the local level gives Vermont students’ their best chance to receive a first class education.
Governor Calls for Spending Caps: Magnate Schools
Governor James H. Douglas delivered his third Inaugural Address on Thursday afternoon, following swearing-in ceremonies for Constitutional state wide officers. Governor Douglas devoted considerable time during and after his re-election campaign talking about his “affordability agenda.” It is possibly for this reason that he did not provide details of his plans to limit school spending by placing caps on school budget growth during his address on Thursday.
The governor repeated his belief that “(T)he oppressive property tax burden is the single greatest threat to Vermonters’ renowned resolve,” and he clearly laid the blame for property tax increases on school budgets that cause “property taxes…to increase at more than double the rate of inflation…at a time when the number of students in our classrooms is declining.” After reiterating his oft-stated premise that “we can cap property taxes without compromising the quality and success of our public schools,” the governor announced that he has met with Speaker Symington and Senator Shumlin, and that they… “agree (that) the real culprit is unsustainable increases in spending.”
Much of the governor’s speech was devoted to his vision of the “Vermont Way Forward,” a critical component of which is his plan to increase “wireless mobility, complete access and clear connections.” More specifically, he challenged lawmakers to pass measures to ensure that “by 2010, Vermont (will) be the nation’s first true ‘e-state’—the first state to provide universal cellular and broadband coverage everywhere and anywhere within its borders.”
This emphasis on technology re-appeared in the governor’s speech when he proposed the formation of regional “Robert T. Stafford Schools for Math, Science and Technology” designed to “go beyond the scope of today’s technical education and emphasize the skills needed for the next wave of scientific advancements.” In order to advance this idea, the governor proposed extending the charter of the Next Generation Commission “to study the creation of Stafford Schools and other means to bring math and science competency to new levels.”
The next indication of the details attendant to the governor’s inaugural proposals will likely come when he delivers his annual budget address, either next week or shortly thereafter.
Lieutenant Governor Seeks Review of Outcomes, Finance and
Governance
Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie delivered his own inaugural remarks following his swearing in ceremony in the Senate chamber. The Lt. Governor offered four “key questions” for consideration “as we talk about education:
First, what outcomes are we looking for from our schools?
Second, do have the best governance in place to deliver those outcomes?
Third, can we improve the ways our schools are financed?
Fourth, how will we know that we have achieved our desired outcomes.”
The Lt. Governor praised Commissioner Cate for also seeking to answer these questions and for being “…committed to improving our schools and producing educated young Vermonters ready to become lifelong learners.” He called “education finance reform…critically important this legislative session,” and he recalled his experience as a school board chair working to pass six school budgets. He asserted that too few Vermonters understand the connection between school budgets and property taxes, and he appeared to criticize the income sensitivity provisions in Acts 60 and 68 for allowing a high percentage of voters to “…vote an increase in spending and not feel the full consequence of their vote.”
How to Work With Your Legislators
Just as school officials have a duty to listen and respond to citizens, members of the Vermont General Assembly have a duty to listen and respond to their constituents. Legislators will want to hear the perspectives of those who work at the local level to deliver education effectively and efficiently. Never assume that legislators have the information needed to make informed decisions. Make the time to share your thoughts. Sound communication is one key premise underlying democracy.
Here are some tips for working with your legislators.
The Vermont Legislature’s Web site is a very useful resource
that provides contact information (including email addresses) for legislators
and up-to-date information on the status of bills. The site can be accessed at www.leg.state.vt.us. Legislators can also be contacted by calling
the Sergeant-At-Arms at
Take Advantage of the Legislative Website
It would be difficult to overstate the variety and volume of useful information available on the General Assembly’s web site. The address is www.leg.state.vt.us. We recommend that you bookmark this address and refer to it regularly as part of your effort to be informed about legislative activities.
Probably the most frequently used resource for followers of particular bills is the “Display the current status of bill” button. If you know the number of a bill, you can use this area to find out what action if any, has been taken on the bill. If you do not know a bill’s number, you can search for it by entering key words or the names of sponsors. When you locate the bill, you will be able to determine what committee it has been assigned to, whether it has traveled from one committee to another, whether floor action has been taken on the bill and, if a roll call vote has been taken, how each member of the body voted. Roll call votes are also recorded through the home page at “Look up roll call votes by member or by bill.”
It is important to note that you can not access information about bill amendments being considered as committees do their work. To obtain the current text of bills being “marked up” by committees, contact one of our offices in Montpelier or refer to our Legislative Reports or Bulletins.
By referring to the “Today’s Bills, Calendars & Journals” site, you will be able to find out what action is anticipated on the floor of the House or Senate on a given day, as well as what action has been taken on any previous day. The text of bills introduced, as well as the text of any amendments proposed to bills during floor consideration will appear in the daily calendars and journals.
The legislative home page also links to the Legislative Directory, a comprehensive listing of all Senators and Representatives that includes biographical information about each. This can be particularly important if you want to find out about the interests and experiences of your representatives. It is useful to know, for example, that several legislators are current or former teachers or school administrators, and that a significant number of the members of the General Assembly have current or past experience as school board members.
The legislative home page can also be your gateway to the text of Acts or statutes adopted by previous legislative sessions. Click on the “Previous sessions, additional reports, and more” link, and you will be able to read the text of Act 60, Act 68 or any other Act of interest to you. If you want to read any part of the state’s statutory law, click on the “Vermont Statutes Online” link, located below the link to the Legislative Directory. The statutes online are organized by Title. The education statutes are in Title 16, and Titles 17 and 24 are devoted to election and municipal statutes.
Referring to an Act as opposed to a statute will allow you to see the full text of a law, including underlines and cross-outs showing how the previous law has been changed by the Act in question. Reading a statute is an easier way to determine what the law currently is with regard to a given subject.
New Bills
The following education related bills had been introduced by the end of the day on January 4th. To read a bill as introduced, or to follow its progress after introduction, go to http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/status.cfm and enter the number of the bill. The statements of purpose following each bill below may be abbreviated forms of the statements contained in the bills as introduced.
SENATE BILLS
S.9 A STATEWIDE SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR
Introduced by Senator Kittell of Franklin District.
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to direct the Commissioner of Education to announce a uniform statewide school calendar each year.
S.13 IDLING SCHOOL BUS ENGINES ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
Introduced by Senator Ayer of Addison District
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to prohibit the operator of a school bus from idling the engine while waiting for children to board at a school.
S.15 REMOVAL OF
TUITION COSTS FROM THE EXCESS SPENDING PENALTY OF ACT 60
Introduced by Senators Ayer and Giard of Addison District
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to subtract from the excess spending penalty of Act 60 tuition paid by a school district which does not maintain a school.
S.16 NONCOMPLIANCE
WITH THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
Introduced by Senators Ayer and Giard of Addison District and Lyons of Chittenden District.
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to direct the State Board of Education not to comply with the testing and consequence provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
HOUSE BILLS
H.7 LIMITS ON
SECONDARY TUITION PAYMENTS
Introduced by Rep. Otterman of Topsham
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to limit the amount of tuition paid to a secondary school to the lowest amount charged by a public secondary school within a 30 mile radius of the school district boundaries.
H.9 PUBLIC
Introduced by Rep. Otterman of Topsham
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to establish various mechanisms through which a parent may send a child to any public school which has capacity for the student or to any secular or sectarian independent school which accepts the student or may enroll the student in a home study program.
H.17 REQUIRING A
SCHOOL DISTRICT TO LEND TEXTBOOKS TO HOME STUDY STUDENTS
Introduced by rep. Donahue of
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to require a school district to provide textbooks to home study students.
H.15 A STATEWIDE
SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR
Introduced by Reps. Jerman of Essex, Barnard of Richmond, Clark of Vergennes, Kilmarten of Newport City, LaVoie of Swanton, Livingston of Manchester, Mook of Bennington and Potter of Clarendon.
Statement of Purpose. This bill proposes to direct the Commissioner of Education to announce a uniform statewide school calendar each year.