Shumlin Wants Level-Funded School Budgets

(Host) Governor Peter Shumlin is urging local voters to reject school budgets that include any additional spending for next year.

But the Vermont School Boards Association says the Governor's comments don't reflect the unique circumstances facing many school boards across the state.

VPR's Bob Kinzel reports:

(Kinzel) In about a month, voters in many communities will consider their local school budgets for next year.  On average, these budgets are increasing a little over 2 percent and this comes after two years of virtually no growth.

Governor Peter Shumlin wants school boards to level fund their budgets for a third year in a row and he hopes local voters hear his message:   

(Shumlin) "If local school boards come in with budgets that are too high I think they should be rejected because Vermont taxpayers can't afford to pay higher property taxes I urged them to level fund their budgets. They must do so. I'm sending the clearest message I know how."

(Kinzel) Steve Dale is the executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association. He thinks the Governor is being unfair to many local school boards:

(Dale) "I'm a little concerned that the public conversation puts school boards in a position where they're on the hook for any increases even those that are absolutely legitimate even those in districts where we have increases in students, where we have special circumstances."

(Kinzel) The Governor's own budget for next year calls for a 5 percent increase in state spending. Dale thinks both the state and local school officials are trying to recover from the recession:

(Dale) "There are a number of areas being proposed in the coming budget where state government is trying to restore some of its funding and some of the programs that were scaled back during the deepest part of the recession and I think it's a similar kind of process that's going on locally."

(Kinzel) But Shumlin says it's not accurate to compare the state budget to local school budgets:

(Shumlin) "We do everything that we can to limit our spending given the mandates that we have. The school boards don't have a statutory obligation to increase spending."

(Kinzel) The Governor says the number of students enrolled in Vermont continues to decline and he says local school boards need to take steps to reflect this reality.

For VPR News, I'm Bob Kinzel in Montpelier