Feb. 11 Montpelier Event to Focus On State Education Finance System
Three speakers will be addressing the impact of the state education system on local school budgets at a public presentation and discussion at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Montpelier High School library. The public is invited to attend, ask questions, and join in the discussion.
Montpelier’s proposed school budget is projected to drive up local residential school property taxes by 13% this year, but over half of the increase is due to factors involving the state funding system, and is thus out of the control of the school board. Rising property tax rates caused by the state system are also a concern in other towns this year, and the subject is being discussed in the Legislature as well.
The speakers at the event, which is being organized by Vibrant and Affordable Montpelier, will be:
• Dr. Brian Ricca, Superintendent of Montpelier Schools.
• Mark Perrault, an education finance fiscal analyst in the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office, and a Montpelier resident.
• Phil Dodd, editor of the Vermont Property Owners Report newsletter, and a Montpelier resident.
They will address, respectively, how Montpelier’s school budget was impacted this year, how the state education finance system works, and what modifications could be made to the system. The focus of the evening will be on the state education finance system rather than the specifics of the proposed Montpelier school budget.
The event will be broadcast live on Channel 16 and replayed on later dates.
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