Fairfax, Fletcher first to merge school boards
Proponents of the regionalized districts say consolidation enables schools to cut costs and improve services through shared resources; detractors fear a loss of local control and access to school choice.
TBD: The Legislature will make final decision about $19M in federal ed money
Douglas is advocating that state lawmakers remove $19 million in existing state revenues from the state budget and replace it with the federal grant funds.
Charting a course for education? Two analyses, two different answers to cost conundrum
The state would have to eliminate 1,549 teaching positions to increase the student-teacher ratio to 13.1 to 1, according to the Douglas administration.
Student teacher ratio by supervisory union, 2009
Interestingly it is not just the rural Supervisory Unions that have low student-teacher ratios. The Hartford District has the third lowest student-teacher ratio with 8.9 students for every full time teacher with Montpelier District coming in at 9.9 students per teacher.
Feds reject Vermont’s $15 million education IT proposal; state required to fulfill mandate anyway
That additional $15 million in unfunded mandates from the federal government could become a real hardship for local schools, according to Vilaseca.
House Ed nearly runs aground on Challenges; proposes $23.2M in voluntary reductions for schools
Kilmartin proposed that the public education system be exempted from the Challenges; Public Strategies Group and Vilaseca supported the idea.
Vilaseca recommends mandatory redistricting, higher student-to-staff ratios and sweeping changes to special education
Education advocates give Vilaseca an A for effort and an F for proposing to mandate school district mergers and redraw the boundaries himself.
Team Vilaseca, final chapter: Commissioner will take recommendations on advisement
There remained wide disparities among several members of the team who are directly involved in schools and members of the Douglas administration.
Team Vilaseca, meeting 4: Unified supervisory union districts; staff-to-student ratios, block grants for special ed on the table
Restructuring the school system could save $17 million a year — $36 million short of the Challenges for Change target.
House Ed Committee passes “Peltz” bill 11-0; legislation proposes voluntary school mergers
Linda Waite-Simpson: “To put a cookie cutter district plan on this incredibly complex system is a recipe for disaster.”
