Lawmakers narrowly defeated amendments on Tuesday that would have publicly funded college classes for private and religious school students.
The split vote, 76-65, was an uncommon event in the House, where two-thirds of the lawmakers are Democrats.
Rep. Carolyn Branagan offered an amendment that added two words — “or sectarian” — to a proposal to extend “dual enrollment” a public school program, to private school students, including those who attend parochial schools.
Branagan’s minor but crucial change was an addition to a broader amendment proposed by Rep. Adam Greshin, I-Warren, who asked the House to consider allowing private school students into the dual enrollment program. That amendment also went down, but on an even closer vote: 74-67.
Dual enrollment is funded through the state’s General Fund. It gives high school students who attend public schools or approved independent schools with public dollars an opportunity to attend college courses for high school and college credit at the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges, along with some participating private colleges. Students get a voucher to take up to two courses. All of the cost is picked up by the state, through the Next Generation scholarship fund: $800,000 comes from the General Fund and $300,000 comes from the Education Fund to support the program.
In 2016, local school districts will pick up 50 percent of the pricetag for high school students enrolled in college courses. At that juncture, the total cost of the program will be $1.4 million, according to state estimates.
Last year, 789 students took advantage of dual enrollment; in the current year, 1,278 students participated in the program.
The issue divided the House across party lines and occupied the members for most of the day. Recesses to resolve outstanding issues interrupted the floor vote three times and lawmakers gave passionate speeches for and against the proposals.
Greshin, an independent who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, says he was prompted to introduce the amendment on behalf of a family in his district that had to pay for private schooling because of a bullying incident at the local public school. “Is that the kind of kid we want to prohibit from having a dual enrollment voucher?”
He argued that all students in Vermont should be eligible to participate in the state-funded dual enrollment program. The cost to taxpayers would be nominal he said — perhaps $33,000 a year at the most if 50 students availed themselves of the program — and the benefits would outweigh the cost.
Greshin intentionally left religious schools out of his amendment.
Branagan asked for a strike-all of the bill, and replaced it with Greshin’s proposal with one major difference: The addition of sectarian schools. She said excluding religious schools from the dual enrollment program was discriminatory.
Both amendments were rejected by the House Education Committee before they came to the floor.
Rep. Joey Donovan, D-Burlington, said the state couldn’t expand the program right now because it would come at a cost to local taxpayers in 2016, and lawmakers are worried about the long-term financial viability of the program given how much pushback there has been from taxpayers in recent months who are unhappy with large increases in school spending and in property tax rates.
The popularity of the program was not anticipated, and Rep. Peter Peltz told his colleagues that “they are victims of their own success.” Higher than expected enrollments has led to questions about whether the program will be sustainable over the long haul.
Peltz objected to the amendment because he described it as a gamechanger. “We are offering public money to follow private students with private funds going to private school for the first time,” Peltz said.
Rep. Dave Sharpe said he is concerned about drains on the Education Fund.
Donovan, too, is concerned about how the state is going to pay for the program over the long haul.
“Dual enrollment is going to be short lived for all Vermont students unless we can address this issue going forward,” she said.
She also said it is “extremely upsetting” to hear that bullying incidents have forced parents to find private school alternatives for children in Vermont. Her committee is looking at new rules that would help to curb bullying in public schools.
