On this topic there will be a discussion panel on Property Taxes & Beyond: Understanding Public Education Funding in Vermont on Tuesday, November 19, 7-8:30 pm, at the Harwood Union High School auditorium in South Duxbury. This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD).

The event will include an overview of Vermont's current complex funding system for public education, and a discussion of hot topics such as:

● What can districts do to control costs while maintaining high quality education?
● Can we expect the Vermont Legislature to consider alternatives to the current funding system when they meet in January?
● How can the major drivers of school budget increases (health insurance rates, special education costs, end of Covid-era funding) be controlled?
● How do other states fund public education? Are our property tax rates higher than those in other states? Can we shift part of the education funding portion of property tax to state income tax?
● Why are per pupil education costs so high in Vermont? Which issues in public education funding are unique to Vermont and which are nationwide?
● Is administrative bloat a real thing or a product of unfunded state and federal mandates?

There will be time for public questions and comment after the panel discussion.

The panelists:

● Lisa Estler, HUUSD Chief Financial Officer
● Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, Vice-Chair, Senate Education Committee
● Dr. Tammy Kolbe, Principal Researcher, American Institute for Research:
National school finance expert
● Dr. Mike Leichliter, HUUSD Superintendent and Vermont Superintendents Association representative on the legislature's Committee on the Future of Public Education in Vermont
● Sen. Andrew Perchlik, Washington County Senator

Event Info

Nov 1, 2024, 3 to 5 PM

Nov 2, 2024, 10 AM to 3 PM

Nov 6, 2024, 6:30 to 7:45 PM