The debate is much the same as last year, but this year’s Legislature is sensing more willingness by school districts and communities to begin difficult conversations about education finance reform.
H.883 sought to end supervisory unions and to create expanded pre-K-12 school districts statewide by 2020.
Donovan said she wanted to revisit “the importance of this work,” which, she said, “is really to equalize opportunities for kids,” in testimony before the Senate Education Committee last week.
Donovan talked about a student from a smaller school district in Vermont who graduated top in her class but barely met the requirements for the University of Vermont. Donovan said that’s unacceptable and a reflection of the uneven learning opportunities in Vermont’s public schools.
Some schools offer a wide array of math opportunities, and some high schools stop at algebra two and disparities are common when it comes to foreign language offerings and more, she said.
“I think we started this work with the understanding that we needed to level the playing field,” Donovan told the committee.
Local control is critical to the way the conversation plays out, and the changes that end up being proposed, she said.
“We did not want this to be seen as something from the state coming down from Montpelier,” said Donovan, but that, “got lost in the conversation” last year.
More community and local involvement is needed this year, to help get the message out to the local communities, and involve them, Donovan suggested.
Small schools may not be closed, in some instances, but could become part of different configurations of a larger school district, such as a magnet, K-3 or 4th through 8th school that could use a building in a local community, Donovan said.
“Serving on ed for a number of years and really talking and knowing education, there is talent out there who could have done that innovative work,” said Donovan of transforming some of the local community schools to purposes that better serve students.
“There seems to be a new sense about education financing in the state,” she said.
She warned, however, that cost-savings might not be immediate or significant.
“In all of our discussions, I don’t believe that I ever said this was going to save a dime … certainly there were going to be transition costs,” she said. “I would have to say that it seems to me if you did do this (H.883, moving to larger pre-K-12 districts) you are not going to have the same number of superintendents, so there would be some savings in that out of having these larger districts, but we did not have the Joint Fiscal Office do any work on that.”
“I think they are,” Donovan said.
Rebecca Holcombe, the secretary of the Agency of Education, has been talking to school districts about future demographic shifts that could exacerbate declines in student enrollment.
“You can’t look at that and not say, ‘We can’t continue to do this,’” Donovan said.
Cummings referred to a number of communities in Central Vermont that are beginning to talk to one another about sharing school resources.
“There are a bunch of them talking together … it’s progress,” she said.
Donovan said the outcry about property taxes coupled with the work Holcombe has done to show the demographic changes and how they are affecting the schools, “There may indeed be more an attitude of listening and exploring, and as with many big changes, it takes a few years and it takes time for people to sort of ruminate about it, and think about it and all of a sudden, it’s time for something to happen.
“We’re delivering education in a manner that it was delivered in the 18th century and we’re expecting different outcomes for kids in the 21st century,” she said.
Donovan ended her testimony saying, “It’s not about closing schools; it’s about being innovative and using what you have, the bricks and mortar, in a different way.”
“I wish you luck with this, and I think it’s great that you’ll pursue it,” said Donovan.
“You gave us the foundation,” said Cummings. “Maybe the timing is better.”
