Governor Scott proposed a radical change to Vermont’s education funding system as the centerpiece of his state budget plan for the coming fiscal year. His request to freeze education spending and put off school budget votes until May would have put school boards in an impossible position. Rep. Dave Sharpe, in his guest editorial in your edition of Feb. 2, laid out a strong case for rejecting the governor’s proposal, and now the legislature has done so.
If the governor had consulted with legislators and school board members before making his proposal, and if he had allowed more time for implementation, perhaps something could have been made of his proposal. However, Vermont needs to allow time for the provisions of Act 46 to be implemented and tested before making further drastic changes in our educational funding provisions. I hope the governor will now work thoughtfully and constructively with the legislature on crafting next year’s state budget.
Spencer Putnam
Weybridge