3-14-16 – Loss of School Choice Can Damage Public Schools
by Rob Roper
Lots has been made of how Act 46’s hostility toward school choice towns negatively affects the students and families in the 93 communities that have school choice. However, less attention has been paid to the neighboring public schools that depend upon those students tuitioning in to meet their budgets.
Most families who enjoy choice under Vermont’s tuitioning system send their children to public schools. If, under Act 46, public school A can no longer attract students from (formerly) choice town B because B has merged into a district with public school C, public school A is screwed. The loss of tuition dollars flowing into the school can be a budget buster, and the subsequent rise in per pupil spending makes the tax formula much more onerous.
At a recent press conference and rally in Montpelier, David Kelley, a school board member from Hazen Union, described what he is looking at in his area:
I want this audience to understand something that’s very important. Those towns, Wolcott, Walden and Stannard, they bring $604,000 this year to the school that I’m on the board of. If those towns merge with anybody but us, we lose $604,000. Craftsbury loses a half million dollars. At a small school like Craftsbury, you have to ask yourself, how devastating is that loss? Loss of school choice… decimates public schools…. What do we cut [at Hazen]? Foreign languages? Art? Music? Tell me. A half a million dollars is six teachers, and they’re going to go. Crafstbury loses a half million dollars. I think that’s one of the finest schools in the state of Vermont. Half a million dollars in a school with a $3.5 million budget is an awful lot. What do they get rid of? This bill [Act 46] can devastate two good [public] high schools. That’s nuts.
The Vermont Independent Schools Association (VISA) has compiled Agency of Education data into the following chart illustrating what some specific public schools have to lose if school choice is snuffed out, and the current choice towns merge with different districts.
| School |
Incoming Tuition |
Districts |
Representatives |
| Mill River Union |
$1,461,743 |
Clarendon Shrewsbury Tinmouth Wallingford |
David Potter (D) |
| St Albans |
$1,388,054 |
Fairfield
St Albans City
St Albans Town |
Daniel Connor (D)
Cory Parent (R)
Eileen Dickinson (R)
Kathleen Keenan (D) |
| Woodstock Union |
$1,144,020 |
Barnard
Bridgewater
Killington
Pittsfield
Pomfret
Reading
Woodstock |
Teo Zagar (D)
Job Tate (R)
Sandy Haas (P)
Alison Clarkson (D) |
| South Burlington |
$1,141,174 |
South Burlington |
Helen Head (D)
Martin LaLonde (D)
Ann Pugh (D)
Maida Townsend (D) |
| Rutland City |
$1,069,942 |
Rutland City |
Peter Fagan (R)
Douglas Gage (R)
Herbert Russell (D) |
| Hartford |
$1,001,301 |
Hartford |
Kevin Christie (D)
Gabrielle Lucke (D)
Teo Zagar (D) |
| Dresden Interstate |
$912,758 |
Norwich |
Tim Briglin (D)
Jim Masland (D) |
| U-32 Union |
$841,572 |
Berlin
Calais
East Montpelier
Middlesex
Worcester |
Patti Lewis (R)
Janet Ancel (D)
Tony Klein (D)
Avram Patt (D)
Shap Smith (D) |
| Colchester |
$803,894 |
Colchester |
Patrick Brennan (R)
James Condon (D)
Joey Purvis (R) |
| Enosburgh |
$689,038 |
Enosburgh |
Larry Fiske (R) |
| Killington |
$522,624 |
Killington |
Job Tate (R) |
| Lamoille Union |
$421,575 |
Belvidere
Cambridge
Eden
Hyde Park
Johnson
Waterville |
Linda Martin (R)
Mark Woodward (D)
Bernie Juskiewicz (R)
Mark Higley (R) |
| West Rutland |
$335,432 |
West Rutland |
Thomas Burditt (R)
David Potter (R) |
| Hazen Union |
$295,156 |
Hardwick
Greensboro
Woodbury |
Joseph Troiano (D)
Vicki Strong (R)
Samuel Young (D) |
| Morristown |
$286,824 |
Morristown |
Shap Smith (D) |
| Lake Region Union |
$277,239 |
Albany
Barton
Brownington
Glover
Irasburg
Westmore |
Vicki Strong (R)
Samuel Young (D)
Loren Shaw (R)
Michael Marcotte (R)
Gary Viens (R)
Paul Lefebvre (R) |
| Fairfax |
$276,631 |
Fairfax |
Barbara Murphy (I) |
| Mt Mansfield Union |
$251,061 |
Huntington
Jericho
Richmond
Bolton
Underhill |
Thomas Stevens (D)
Theresa Wood (D)
William Frank (D)
George Till (D)
Anne O’Brien (D)
Thomas Stevens (D) |
| Twin Valley |
$221,764 |
Whitingham
Wilmington |
Ann Manwaring (D)
Laura Sibilia (I) |
| Middlebury Union |
$219,537 |
Bridport
Cornwall
Middlebury
Ripton
Salisbury
Shorham
Weybridge |
Harvey Smith (R)
Willem Jewett (D)
Betty Nuovo (D)
Amy Sheldon (D)
Alyson Eastman (I) |
| Arlington |
$199,358 |
Arlington |
Cynthia Browning (D)
Steven Berry (D) |
| Danville |
$144,254 |
Danville |
Kitty Toll (D) |
| North Country Union |
$123,422 |
Brighton
Charleston
Coventry
Derby
Ferdinand
Holland
Jay
Lowell
Morgan
Newport City
Newport Town
Troy
Westfield |
Paul Lefebvre (R)
Lynn Bachelor (R)
Michael Marcotte (R)
Gary Viens (R)
Loren Shaw (R)
Mark Higley (R) |
|
– Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Springfield is also losing money and all the sending schools around windsor
Rob, Unfortunately this is one more of far too many examples of the unintended consequences of passing legislation based upon a knee jerk feeling versus a thoughtful review. If it feel good, just do it,.