Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Tim Jerman, of Essex Junction, who serves on the House Education Committee. He is also the vice chair of the Vermont Democratic Party.
[T]he Vermont Republican negativity machine is in full gear after the legislative session. Weekly, we see the same names trashing the substantial achievements of the 2015 Vermont Legislature. Some have been droning for decades, others are new to the game. The goal is to undercut the significant achievements this year in water quality, education reform, renewable energy, and fiscal responsibility in hopes to persuade Vermonters to vote differently in 2016.
When attacking the Democratic Legislature, no one is spared, and even hardworking Republicans get tossed under the bus. Case in point: the education reform bill, H.361, crafted in my committee with a strong assist from Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe. On an 11-0 bipartisan vote, House Education passed to the floor a bill that promises to improve education outcomes and reduce property tax increases by strongly penalizing spending beyond an allowable level near the rate of inflation. Supported by most Democrats and almost half of the Republican caucus (including both minority leaders) it went to the Senate and was passed unanimously in committee and by a wide margin on the floor. The governor has proudly signed the final version of the bill.
When attacking the Democratic Legislature, no one is spared, and even hard-working Republicans get tossed under the bus.
But, because this bipartisan effort emerged from a Democratic Legislature, the Republican spin doctors went right to work. They have complained that the Democrats are raising property taxes, not controlling spending. They have dismissed the bill as irrelevant, because it doesn’t get at the “real problem” of education funding mechanics, even though they know that every alternative floated to date would violate the equal opportunity tenets of the Brigham Supreme Court decision. Now they are attacking a minor provision of the bill, an adequacy study which could provide real insight as to how much we should be spending on a per-pupil basis statewide.
It’s offensive to some Republicans as well as Democrats and Progressives to listen to these false partisan attacks after legislators have worked closely together to forge compromise solutions. Vermonters asked us to craft a common-sense Vermont answer to our education challenges. Vermonters know these are all complex issues, and I doubt they’ll buy simplistic false negative attacks no matter how often the message is repeated by the usual suspects.
