By Kevin Baker
This letter is in response to the education funding issue and the proposed tax increases. Every state budget and school district is unique with things such as state funding, local funding, teacher and support contracts, number of school administrators as well as other equally important areas. I am a retired 39-year career upstate New York teacher, a past teacher’s union president and current two-term school board member.
With this in mind, I will list some of the solutions that I have experienced over the years. These necessary and effective changes had to be considered as we dealt with the same issues our Vermont school districts now face. Our priority should always be to provide our students, families, and taxpayers with the best (sustainable) education we can provide. Listed below are a few ideas for consideration.
- The state needs to look at how it funds and supports school operations. This may involve an increased financial commitment.
- The state should consider a “hard % tax cap” with a fixed cap % increase to taxpayers. This cap can only be exceeded by a super majority vote by local voters in each school district.
- Consolidate schools, staff, and services in order to save money.
- Have one administrator per building (estimate 400/450 students in each elementary school as an appropriate amount of population in each facility? I do not know how our current schools are set up or the numbers of students currently in each building.
- Increase class size where appropriate with the exception of our youngest children (kindergarten) to an average class size of 22-24 students in each section. An age appropriate class size increase should also be expected at the upper levels. In my teaching experience these numbers are appropriate and educationally sound.
- In the next teacher’s contract, the staff can pick up a slightly increased percentage for health insurance based on the district’s increased costs.
- In the next negotiated contract, the district should consider an early retirement incentive for district teachers. This clause can sunset at the contract’s conclusion or rollover to the next one. One district I’m familiar with offered $25,000 for this one-time incentive and it allows the district to hire replacement teachers right out of college. After the initial district cost there are many years of savings due to savings on new educator’s salary and benefit package compared to our veteran teachers.
- When appropriate and depending on subject area consider not replacing teachers that retire. Attrition is an effective way to reduce staff while limiting layoffs and job loss.
In closing, I know some of these ideas will be met with concern and upset but it has been successful in other locations and if drastic changes aren’t made now, taxpayers will be faced with a bill they cannot afford to pay. I personally have only faced a 10% increase in my school taxes once in over 40 years.
Baker lives in Warren
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