Editor’s note: This commentary is by Karen Ruben, of Burlington, who is the president of the PTO at C.P. Smith Elementary School and has two children in the Burlington School District.
[T]here are a lot of narratives circulating about education spending in general and the Burlington school district budget in particular.
At the federal level, the concept of public education is in question. The Department of Education is considering diverting public funds to private and charter schools, which are not required to meet the same obligations as public schools. This would effectively destabilize the public education system leaving students with special needs, poor urban students and all rural students at a grave disadvantage.
At the state level, Vermont’s education funding is at risk. Our governor, Phil Scott, threatens to usurp local school boards and indiscriminately cut school spending by shifting general fund expenses into the education fund. The inevitable cuts to services and increases in property taxes would then become the responsibility of the same local school boards from whom control would be wrested.
Voters can have confidence that the board considered all of its constituents, the needs of the students, and the political and fiscal climate in which we live.
At the local level, recent conflicts over teacher pay and cuts to programming have generated some resentment of the Burlington School Board and administration. Regardless of whether this resentment is fairly placed or not, its existence threatens to undermine the passage of the school budget which is often used to show approval or disapproval of the decision-making bodies.
All of these forces are putting downward pressure on the students served by this district. As someone who is daily involved in Burlington schools as a volunteer, a PTO leader, a school board watchdog and a parent, I can attest that Burlington students are not over served. In fact, after three straight years of cuts I would argue that our staff, teachers and students are doing phenomenal work with very limited resources. With this said, the longer we fail to meet student needs and address long overdue maintenance issues, the harder it will be to maintain a quality program.
In my personal experience with the Burlington School Board and administration I have found that they are extremely committed to Burlington students. Where they have often frustrated parents, teachers and school advocates, like myself, is when their commitment to fiscal solvency clashes with a desire for a particular program or expense.
This commitment on the part of the board has inspired board members, Vermont state legislators and community members to begin to work together to find alternatives to current school funding mechanisms. A movement is underway to push for changes at the state level that could rein in unfunded mandates, redistribute property tax expenditures to relieve the burden on struggling families, and re-establish school district access to city PILOT funds.
As a committed advocate of Burlington schools, I ask you to support the Burlington school budget and bond act being put out for your approval on Town Meeting Day, March 7. These proposals represent a balanced commitment to both Burlington schools and Burlington taxpayers. Both represent an incredible amount of informed and complicated work and hours and hours of labor on the part of our elected representatives to balance the tension between student needs and fiscal prudency. Voters can have confidence that the board considered all of its constituents, the needs of the students, and the political and fiscal climate in which we live.
Now is the time to say yes to Burlington schools and yes to public education, a system on which Vermont families rely. Thank you for your support.
