Vermonters on Tuesday overwhelmingly said yes to their school budgets, marking a pronounced turnaround from last year, when voters rejected one-third of spending plans across the state due to a steep increase in property taxes.
According to preliminary results collected by the Vermont Superintendents and School Boards associations, 101 school budgets passed and nine school budgets failed on Town Meeting Day. Results for a handful of districts were not yet available on Wednesday morning.
Another nine districts, including Essex Westford, Orleans Central and Windham Southeast, will vote on their school budgets in the coming months.
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The 92 percent success rate was much more typical than last year’s poor showing, according to Sue Ceglowski, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association. She called the results “a vote for moving Vermont public education forward.”
This year, budgets did not increase as much as they did last year, and school boards were especially cognizant of approving spending plans that taxpayers could support, while also maintaining high-quality education for students, Ceglowski said.
Administrators started the budgeting process “very early” and “were incredibly thoughtful and involved their communities throughout the whole process,” added Chelsea Myers, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association.
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Gov. Phil Scott, Education Secretary Zoie Saunders and some lawmakers have urged quick action on the proposal, pointing to last year’s budget failures and sky-high education property tax increases. They’ve billed the overhaul as a way to build a more equitable, sustainable and high-quality system of education. Some parts would be implemented within two years.
In recent weeks, the plan has faced resistance from education leaders who have questioned whether such large-scale transformation is warranted or would actually benefit students.
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Any changes to Vermont’s education system “should be made thoughtfully and based on data and research — and that does take time,” Ceglowski said on Wednesday. “I think the results of these votes show confidence … in public schools and will allow the time to make any changes in a thoughtful way.”
In neighboring South Burlington, which crafted a budget that will see property taxes rise by a projected 8 percent, the margin was much slimmer: just 51 percent of residents voted in favor of the budget. In the Colchester School District, where the budget is expected to raise property taxes by around 3 percent, 54 percent of voters said yes.
Slate Valley Unified School District, which serves students in Fair Haven, Castleton, Orwell and Benson, historically struggles to pass its budget on the first try, and this year was no different; 1,107 residents voted no, while 789 voted yes.
In a message to her community on Tuesday night, superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell expressed disappointment but said the school board and administration would go back to the drawing board.
“We will explore alternative solutions to meet student needs within our financial constraints,” Olsen-Farrell wrote. “We value your input and encourage open dialogue as we navigate this challenge together.”
Other school districts that rejected budgets include Georgia, Fairfax, Alburgh, Wolcott, Springfield and Stamford.