The juxtaposition of stories on the front page of today’s FP made me wince. On the one hand, our Vermont delegation deserves abundant kudos for delivering a $116 M grant that will bring broadband access to every user in the state. On the other, the wake of Challenges for Change delivers a $23M blow to school funding in the state. It’s tough to know whether to smile or weep.
We have some of the best school outcomes in the country. Despite Republican indifference to that fact, which ill-serves their Vermont failure message, this is one very good reason why high-quality job providers might choose to locate here. One cannot but wonder what effect this fiscal “efficiency” may have on the long term performance of Vermont schools, and thus, their position as an asset to the state’s economic development.
There is no question but that the federal grant to bring high-speed Internet access to every nook and cranny of the state will grow our economy. Every gubernatorial candidate recognizes this and has made achievement of this goal a plank (large or small) of her or his platform. This latest development demands that each craft a more nuanced message about IT beyond simple supply. If Brian Dubie’s slow response time for other issues is any indication, we can expect him to get up to speed about the new IT realities sometime in 2011.
The two lead stories blend effortlessly into a single line of questions about the future. Will distance learning provided through broadband access succeed in offsetting the increasing economic limits on public schools; and what will the long-term impact on community be if public schools begin to disappear as gathering places? Will a blanket of broadband shape Vermont as one giant bedroom suburb for Boston, New York and Montreal? Do we have the will to support, through our taxes, a socially interactive public education system and the tradition of diverse and local economies throughout Vermont?
… the detailed breakdown and some narrative re. the expected $23M savings can now (at last!) be found on the Dept. of Ed. website at http://education.vermont.gov/n…
“Will distance learning provided through broadband access succeed in offsetting the increasing economic limits on public schools”
I know Shumlin at least has mentioned that in his plan, but I just don’t see it happening. And I say this as someone who was the director of an e-learning department responsible for delivering distance learning in a corporate arena, as well as a college professor doing it in the academic environment.
I don’t see how it’s going to save money in a public school context–it seems more like a magic wand being waved without any details presented or even thought out–quite different than corporate training or non-traditional students getting back in the game. And quite frankly it’s never a substitute for classroom instruction, especially I think for younger audiences.
I’d rather we raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, as states typically have done during recessions, and not cut social programs that preserve the social contract and provide for the long-term competitiveness of our state. I’m astonished that any “pro-business” people advocate cuts to schools when they need well-educated workers in the future. Or do Vermont businesses plan on outsourcing like everybody else does these days?
making it easier to get on your FB page while you look for a Mcjob and update your UI claim, if you ever have a job long enough to qualify for it.