(I think this is an interesting question, to which I hope some of our candidates will be inclined to respond. – promoted by Sue Prent)
if consolidation of Vermont’s (for now) local school districts makes such eminent fiscal sense, why does the state have to offer cash incentives to entice the (for now) local school districts to consolidate?
someone must have an opinion on school district consolidation that they are eager to share!
Several of the largest school districts in the state have some of the highest per pupil costs. Thus, larger districts might even cost more money. Surprise!!
The Dubie/Douglas team has bought into the myth that small schools are more expensive then larger ones and that Montpelier should mandate school consolidation. It is simply not true that small schools are more expensive then larger schools. The notion that Montpelier can make better decisions about school consolidation then local communities is misguided.
There are instances where school consolidation makes sense. In Windham County for instance, Wilmington and Whitingham chose to make a sensible consolidation. One of the challenges in making the transition was a lack of resources to pay for the financial analysis and other impacts to help them make their judgment. Temporary tax incentives to help communities make thoughtful decisions about proposed consolidation does make sense. It gives a small carrot as opposed to the club that the Dubie/Douglas team are advocating to use.
As Governor, I will end the war of words against our school children, teachers, and hard working school board members and work collaboratively with them to improve our schools while we reduce costs.