Saving Small Schools and Lowering Property Taxes

Susan Bartlett on Education and Lowering Property Taxes from Susan Bartlett on Vimeo.

Dubie Says Spending Federal Education Money Would Be 'Reckless'

Brian Dubie says it's "reckless" to use new federal stimulus money to help offset projected cuts in local school budgets.

For the past decade, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Susan Bartlett has been chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

She says she likes the commissioner's plan and she says Dubie's response is simply a continuation of the flawed policies of the Douglas administration.

"I think it's just more of the same old, which is here you're talking about education, so you make education the bad guy, if you will, and totally miss the point of education is one of the most important things that we do. And that it's a big system and it takes time to make some structural change."

Read the VPR story.

Innovation Will Spark Jobs

Gareth Henderson

Vermont Standard

August 5, 2010

Bartlett, a former educator who has been in the Senate for 18 years, said her experience as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee has given her a deep understanding of the state budget and governmental operations. Also, she sees herself as being in the middle of the road politically.

“I thought the Democrats needed a person in the middle to vote for,” Bartlett said.

Read the Vermont Standard article here.

10 minutes on Education

Susan lays out some of her thoughts on how we go forward with education in Vermont. It's not just about aides ...

Larger School Districts and Education Spending

Larger districts will offer more educational opportunities for children and save money. We need work together to reduce spending on education.

"Half our budget deficit next year, $60 million, is the general fund contribution to education. If we meet that obligation, we are breaking the back of other general fund services. To not meet them, and this is the no-win situation, is breaking the back of the property taxpayer."

"Not every special needs child belongs in the classroom all the time."

Susan Bartlett talks about education to the VT NEA. She discusses the importance of improving our educational system to benefit the children and the people who work in our schools.


Susan Bartlett Speaks to the NEA About Education from Susan Bartlett on Vimeo.

Addressing Property Taxes

It is obvious that education is a hot topic in most of our communities.  Many school boards worked hard to deliver a level funded or lower budget than last year.   Staff reductions were made and programs were cut; and still tax rates went up.  Voters are angry and frustrated.  How can we have a system that penalizes communities that are doing all the right things to contain costs with a higher tax rate? 

The culprit is the Common Level of Appraisal or the CLA.

The CLA is the part of Act 60 and Act 68 that is designed to make sure that all taxpayers and communities are treated in an equitable manner.  It is the means by which the school tax on a $210,000 home is the same no matter which community the home is located, as long as the school spending is the same.  I believe that it is the CLA that disconnects voters from their school budgets, not income sensitivity.  It is the CLA that is causing tax rates to rise, when school spending is dropping.

I have been talking with the Finance Committee for several years about working to find a solution to the problems with the CLA formula.  So far no one has come up with a solution.  It is my understanding that there are some issues with “freezing” the CLA where it was last year, but I find it hard to believe that it could be more of a problem than we have now increasing it! 

I am going to ask the Finance committee once again to see if we can at least get a short-term fix for this problem.  I do have a longer term fix.

When Act 68 passed, I worked with Representative Richard Marron from Stowe to put a new system of property evaluation in place.  Rep. Marron was then the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and he did a great deal of work with the state of Maryland to understand their system. 

They have a 3-year rolling, on-going statewide appraisal system.  One year it is primary residences, the next year business property and the third year all other property. This system keeps property up to date and I believe it would serve to get rid of the complex CLA formula.  I still believe that this is a good idea and I’m trying to get folks to consider it again.  

My plan for Vermont envisions hiring professional appraisers to work for the state tax department, performing the ongoing work in each county.  We would keep our local listers doing the work that they currently do.  With professional appraisers, I believe there would be more consistency in the property evaluations eliminating the need for the CLA. 

This system would save money for the towns, which constantly have to reappraise.  There would still be an appeal process for taxpayers who felt they had an unfair evaluation. 

I believe that this system will keep evaluations up to date in every part of the state, is easy to understand and meets the requirements of treating taxpayers in a fair and equitable manner.  It may even reduce property taxes.

It sure would be better than watching property taxes increase while school boards cut services.

Fairness and Diversity

How will I change the structure and tone of state government? 

Right now I think state government is tone deaf on the issues of diversity.  The changing population is something we are watching and mostly going “wow this is different”.  There have been token appointments and conversations, but the reality is we don’t have any idea what to do.  As governor I would convene a series of public meetings to talk about the various issues and work with state and local government to develop solutions.  The real solution is education and that takes time, but it is the most effective way to go.  Taking an issue and keeping it visible is the best way to get good results.  That’s the power a governor has, to take an issue and make it public and keep constructive conversations going.

Appointments to boards

This administration has misused their power of appointment and has used many appointments as political rewards.  My approach to board appointments would be to ask the various groups that are involved with the board to make recommendations.  As a new and important part of the process I would include individuals who are working in the area of diversity and fairness to participate in the recommendation of individuals for boards.  The comment about Native American’s and District Environmental Commissions is an excellent example.  One of the problems is we don’t know what we don’t know.  So a key to moving forward is getting a different point of view as base line input for recommendations.

Hate Groups

I return to the issue of education.  I can see an entire series of public service ads talking about these issues.  They would be made with public officials, regular citizens, law enforcement, and all kinds of Vermonters, of all types of ethnic backgrounds.  Vermont has a long history of welcoming all folks; it’s time to get back to that behavior.

Vermont brand

As governor I would celebrate the growing diversity of our state and show that pride in our advertising and promotion of Vermont.  We are still in the process of figuring out how to develop innovation and intellectual property as economic development and there is no reason that these issues have any ethnicity attached to them.  I would develop an introduction to diversity daylong program that would be given to all state workers and any group that receives state dollars.  It would at least be a start in developing awareness.

School Issues

I wish I had an easy answer for this question.  We have passed laws that have resulted in attempts to address bullying, harassment and hate crimes and as you say they have come to nothing.  There must be programs in other states that have been effective in training educators in these issues.  I believe we need a total education and sensitizing set of programs to truly move forward.  How long has the south been integrated and how much progress has been made?

I don’t think the issue is large or small districts; the issue is human nature and ignorance.  For many years I have felt that half the trauma for the state of Vermont surrounding Civil Unions was that for years Vermonters had prided themselves on “not being like other state” and not being prejudiced.  Civil Unions smacked us right in the head and said “Oh yea, you think you’re not prejudiced?  How come you’re acting like this?”     

While Vermont has been “white,” the prejudice against the French Canadians and the Italians has been very real and very nasty.  Just because a state has been all white doesn’t mean it free from prejudice.

What sets me apart?

I was born in Massachusetts and raised in South Carolina.  My family moved to Orleans, Vermont in 1962 when I was entering the 11th grade.  My father worked in textiles and my mother worked for a lawyer.  They were totally supportive of integrating schools and raised my brother and I to judge each person as an individual. 

A woman of color worked for us so there was someone at home when my brother and I got home from school.  My parents spent 3 years trying to convince Johnny Mae to use the front door.  She never would.  As the violence was increasing, my father had the chance to take a job in Vermont. 

My parents saw they had two children who thought all folks were equal and that we were in for a very difficult time as some of our school friends began to take sides in the issue of integration.  So my parents made the decision to leave the south and move to Vermont for their children's well being. 

I have never shared this story before.  When the issue of Civil Unions came along, I felt that I was being given the opportunity to act on a civil rights issue in a way that my parents had never had the opportunity to, and if they had still been alive would have been so proud and happy that I had that chance.   So I think that kind of awareness makes me different than all the rest.

How I Would Promote Job Growth

I don’t believe that government creates jobs. I believe that government can help create an environment that is supportive; making sure we have good telecommunications infrastructure, supporting job training programs and certainly helping with access to capital.

I have always believed that jobs are created locally and that we should support our regional economic development groups and our regional planning commissions. They know what is working in their areas, who needs help, and how to match the needs of local business with the available resources in the state for their area.

As governor I will establish a statewide office of Innovation and Intellectual Property. Innovation and entrepreneurs have always been a part of Vermont, but we have failed to acknowledge them as true job creators.

Innovation backed by intellectual property protection raises the value of small companies tremendously, which will create good paying Vermont jobs and allow small Vermont companies to grow into large Vermont companies.

People talk about bringing good paying, high-tech jobs to Vermont. Companies are willing to supply training but they need to start with people who have a strong background in math.

We need to have local technical centers gear up immediately to work with companies to provide the basic education and skills to prepare Vermont workers. As governor, I will work to develop a truly close working relationship between our schools and our business community. Read more ...

We need to address helping Vermonters keep the jobs they have. Employers train employees then find they don’t last very long. They have the basic skills, but something doesn’t work out and they quit after a short time. We need to support workers and help them solve distracting problems in their personal life.

If a worker has problems at home, or has trouble getting government assistance, it has a direct impact on their performance at work. On a lunch break, a specialist can put the employee in touch with the right agency and help them get the paperwork done. This additional assistance can turn a distracted employee into a great worker, and because the worker is valued and less distracted, it is a real benefit to the employer. Read more ...

I pushed for increasing funding for the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI), a program that was started several years ago to encourage job growth in Vermont through cash incentives to employers. This is expected to help create 800 good paying jobs in Vermont.

These are performance based incentives, so until the company has created the jobs and folks have been working for a specific time period, the incentive is not paid. They are paid out over a period of years. These new jobs create more revenues for the state, so these incentives don’t “cost” the state money, they just share some of the new revenues with the company that creates these new revenues.

Affordable Childcare is Important to Education and Our Economy

Affordable childcare has been an issue for many years all over America.  As long as American’s demand low taxes, services such as high quality, affordable child care will be an issue for most working women. 

I believe that childcare should be viewed as an important part of our educational system.  More and more research shows that the early years of growth and development are important.  Investments in early education and high quality day care are in reality an economic savings.  Affordable, high quality day care allows women to work and to become part of our growing economy and it allows children access to the early learning opportunities that are so important for success in school.

As governor I would begin to address this issue by removing the cap on pre-school positions.  It is horrible that children have to win a lottery and that schools have to say no to what we understand now is the foundation for good education.  Next I would work to educate Vermonters on the value of these programs.  I think it is very encouraging that the Business Roundtable is once again talking about this issue as the key to future economic growth in Vermont. 

I believe that the key to this issue is the understanding and support of the entire business community.  I do not believe it would be overly expensive to provide all of Vermont children access to high quality childcare.  The real issue is convincing Vermonters that the early dollar investment is not only smart, but also saves dollars in the long run by encouraging the success of every child. 

As governor I would also propose that all day care, preschool and school meals are free and nutritious.  Why?  First they should be free because so many parents will not apply for the assistance, so their children go without.  Next, when children are hungry, they cannot focus on learning, they simply think and worry about their next meal.   In a state with so much, how can we allow any child to go hungry?  By combining the money we already spend on school meals, we could meet this goal with little additional spending and we could achieve immediate, positive results for children.

Education Spending and Quality Goals

High quality educational opportunities are the key to the future

Well-educated citizens have the knowledge and confidence to invent new products, start new businesses, be great employees, and to be active participants in their communities, be it as a basketball coach, a volunteer firefighter, a select board member, or a member of a local theater group. We owe it to our students to prepare them to compete in our rapidly changing world.

Act 60

Act 60 has worked to equalize spending among Vermont's communities, thereby compiling with the Supreme Court's Brigham decision and ensuring that all children have the same access to education, regardless of a town's property wealth. However, changes must be made to the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) to make our educational funding formula less confusing. I favor replacing the system with a statewide, three-year rotating professional appraisal.

Vermont must reduce spending statewide in order to reduce local school taxes

Vermont is among the highest per pupil spending in the country, and Vermonters are frustrated by rising property taxes. It is important to understand that school taxes are determined not only by what we spend, but by what is spent across the state on education as a whole. In order to reduce taxes at the local level, we need to take a system-wide approach to reducing spending.

We can control spending and enhance educational opportunity in Vermont

Here is what I would support as Governor:
Larger School Districts - Vermont should have 16 school districts (as opposed to the current 307). The path to getting to larger districts needs to be paved by requiring all districts to implement best practices in administration over two years with the goal of creating larger districts in five years.


Minimum-Maximum Class Sizes - Each district would adopt a minimum-maximum class size policy. This would mean greater job security for teachers, increased flexibility for staff planning, and reduction in costs associated with the hiring process. In addition, it would keep investments made in professional development within each district, increase capacity and help preserve some of our smaller schools.

Critical Evaluation of Special Education - Our schools and our property taxes have become the deep pockets of special education/social services. We need to have our department of education define what truly belongs as an educational cost and what is a "social cost. I believe it is correct to have education taxes pay for educational costs, and the general fund pay the social costs.

Teacher Support and Training - I believe that the most significant progress toward the success of all children happens in classrooms with excellent teachers who base their work on research proven instruction and educational practice; for example, differentiated instruction as a method of teaching and workstations as a strategy to help all students to learn.

Read the detailed policy paper.