Editor’s note: This commentary is by Neil Odell, of Norwich, who is a member of the Norwich School Board and the Dresden Interstate School board (serving the towns of Norwich, Vermont, and Hanover, New Hampshire). He is also a member of the Vermont School Boards Association Board of Directors.
Dear Gov. Scott,
[I] think we got off on the wrong foot. We haven’t met before so I don’t think it was anything that I said; perhaps something I did? I am a school board member, so perhaps that may have something to do with it.
Last November you asked me to be mindful of property tax rates in Vermont and to restrict school budget growth to no more than 2.5 percent. Then you invited me and other board members to an education summit in December to discuss the educational challenges the state faces. At that meeting you asked us to “take a collaborative approach and agree to pull in the same direction.”
I took those requests to heart. To be honest, I agreed with you — we do have some fundamental issues related to education spending that we really need to address. My family pays over $1,000 per month in property taxes — I get it. So I worked with my colleagues on the board in Norwich to develop a reasonable (and conservative) budget. And because I am part of an interstate school district, I found myself repeatedly appealing to my colleagues in New Hampshire for sympathy and restraint in budgeting. They were receptive, but I believe that many grew tired of my mantra by the time budget season was over.
But in the end both boards pulled through. The Norwich expenditure budget was up 1.85 percent over the prior year. The Dresden expenditure budget was up 1.9 percent. I was proud of the work that we did. We maintained a very strong educational program at all of our schools. In some cases we even managed to expand offerings through some creative staffing scenarios and careful resource allocation. No, we didn’t level fund our budgets. But I did spend a lot of time telling people that even if we had, we would still be looking at a property tax increase. I walked through the tax rate calculation at town meeting. I explained to folks why Norwich was looking at a significant property tax rate increase despite very modest budgeting. And no, I didn’t blame it all on Montpelier. I explained to everyone that we, Norwich, and every other school district in the state played a role in our current situation. Please, check for yourself — it’s all on video (the school budget presentation begins at the 34 minute mark).
I’ll admit, I’m not that happy with a tax rate increase. But I understand why — and I’m pretty sure those folks that came to town meeting, or watched it at home, understand as well. Using one-time money to pay down the tax rate put us in that situation.
But you seem unhappy too and I’m not sure why. Collectively, school boards met your request, yet you’re now asking for even more. If you’d just let us know at the beginning, perhaps we would have been able to help. But now it just feels like you don’t trust me and want to handle this on your own — with your terms. If that’s the case, what is my role in all of this going forward?
