Editor’s note: This commentary is by Brenda Siegel, who is a Democratic candidate for governor, founder and director of the Southern Vermont Dance Festival, vice chair of the Democratic Committee and delegate to the Windham County Democratic Committee. She is an anti-poverty activist and single mom from Newfane.
[V]ermont’s governor should take seriously the will of the voters and the tradition of Town Meeting Day. Phil Scott is selling Vermont a story about taxes that does not add up and doing it while he thwarts the will of 95 percent of towns who voted for their school budgets. His line to the public has been that he will not raise taxes and he will do that through cost savings in schools. He suggests that there are savings to come, but, those savings are mere projections and those projections are bad math. The Joint Fiscal Office cannot come to the same conclusion as the administration has.
Perhaps the most outrageous part of what he is doing is the grand lie to the public. He is promising that your property taxes will not go up. What he is suggesting is the rate will go down. The trouble with this is that even when the rate does go down, the tax bill will still often go up; we have seen this in Vermont in other years. The more likely scenario is that in year three, four and five of the governor’s plan, Vermonters will see a higher tax bill. He is creating an artificial flat line for taxes this year as he prepares for re-election. However, one does not have to dig too deep to understand that his numbers don’t add up. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that you don’t use money for a new dress when your power is about to get shut off, you use that money to pay the electric bill. His suggestion of using one-time money for something he wants instead of a debt is irresponsible. Phil Scott wants a new dress when he has bills to pay.
Three things are apparent with this administration’s approach to the tripartisan budgets passed in the Legislature. First, he is fully committed to undermining our public school system and will do anything to reach that goal including make a false promise to the public. Second, he has no real understanding of how to work with a complex budget and how to use money in the most efficient and productive way. Third, he will sell out our kids’ futures and the future of Vermont in order to “keep costs down.” Phil Scott sent the school boards a goal and they came back with budgets that were under his target, and yet it still was not good enough. This is not effective leadership and ignores the traditions of this state.
In my administration, I will work with the legislators early on to ensure that the budget that is passed is one that I can get behind. I will respect the will of the towns and the voters and will fight to ensure that our children have the best chance at success possible. There is no more important population than our children to protect. We need a leader who speaks with and for our children.
As we look to education, it is important to note that we have a strong education system that is being funded at the will of local school boards and towns. Rather than undermine our public education, it is crucial that we improve upon it. My plan calls for us to promote our education system and all of its qualities and benefits. In addition, it is essential for us to implement the ethnic studies standard and look toward centralizing services closer to schools.
In a time when throughout the state and across the country there is an opioid epidemic, children are losing their parents and many kids across our state are living in poverty, prevention to mitigate the collateral damage of trauma is crucial. We must not underfund our public schools. Our public schools are the bedrock of our society. They are the core, the center, they are where our kids find their foundation in education and success. We raise kids in this state’s public schools who go on to do amazing things and often come back and share their skills in our communities. Education is stronger for all of us when there is less pressure on teachers. This is why centralizing services is a strong next step for our public schools. It allows for some smaller schools to stay open and for families and children who need support to have access to it. It also allows for our teachers to have more freedom to focus on teaching, which ultimately gives all of our kids a better education.
The ethnic studies standard is extremely important to reduce racial bias in our schools and to educate our children on the true history of this state and country. It is necessary to make sure we add to our curriculum important historical figures that have not been traditionally part of public education. Not only is this what is needed to ensure a welcoming environment to all children who are educated in our state, but, also it is crucial to properly educate our youth.
Vermont has a very strong tradition of decisions about our school budgets and curriculum being largely controlled by the communities themselves. Traditions of town meeting, local control, everyone having a seat at the table, small schools, strong opportunities for our kids, these are all attributes that bring people to Vermont. There is nothing respectable about undermining our schools or silencing the voices of those who voted at their town meetings.
Vermont needs a governor who will work hard on behalf of the people who live in this state to do everything within their power to ensure that all voices are heard and that our children and families have the tools to strive for a brighter future.
