Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday exhorted lawmakers to follow through on the sweeping education reform efforts they initiated last year, despite signs that support for mandatory consolidation of school districts — a key element of the plan — may already be faltering.
In a break from past years, Scott dedicated virtually his entire State of the State address to a single issue: transforming the state’s education system. He asserted that nothing is more important to Vermont’s financial health and social well-being.
“When you passed this law last year, you took a stand for your constituents who said enough is enough, and you chose a better future for our kids. And for that I thank you,” Scott told lawmakers. “But the real work begins today, because now we have to follow through.”
Scott laid out why the legislature should consolidate districts as Act 73 envisioned. Having new, larger school districts would reduce costs, improve efficiencies and ensure educational equality for students across the state, he said.
If that means some smaller schools need to close, so be it, he said. Kids in the smallest schools often suffer from severely limited educational options, and closing tiny schools to steer them to ones with more academic and social opportunities is something the state needs to accept, he argued.
He cited one school district that offered instruction in 17 foreign languages, while a smaller one offered just four.
“This isn’t meaningful local control,” Scott said. “It’s significant inconsistency, unequal opportunity. And frankly, it’s just not fair.”
Scott issued what amounted to an ultimatum to lawmakers: Fix the problem or you’re not going home.
“I want to be clear: I will not sign a budget or an education bill or tax bill that deviates from Act 73 or fails to fix what’s broken,” Scott said, referring to what are typically the final acts before a session adjourns.
Legislative leaders said the threat was not productive, but largely expressed support for the governor’s position. It’s his right to focus on a single issue, they said, though that’s unusual.
“This is the most narrowly focused State of the State I’ve ever seen,” Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden-Central) told reporters.
He said he understood why Scott focused exclusively on education reform. Passing a bill to enable the extensive consolidation described in Act 73 “is going to be probably more difficult than anything we’ve done in the last few years,” he said. The state has 119 school districts, and Act 73 calls for reducing that to fewer than 25.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) said the governor’s veto threat was “disappointing,” yet added she was “100 percent at the table to figure this out.”
She said she hoped the governor was similarly committed to making the case for reform directly to Vermonters, many of whom strongly oppose the loss of local control and likely closure of some schools.
“I really need the governor out there going to communities across the state because I think there is a lot of concern,” Krowinski said.
Scott praised lawmakers for passing Act 73 last session, saying that took political courage.
“Act 73 was the result of good policy work, compromise, and importantly, a willingness to admit the old system no longer serves Vermont,” Scott said.
He reminded lawmakers that a forecast 12 percent property tax increase can only be avoided if the state spends nearly $200 million from the General Fund, sapping resources for key priorities such as housing, roads and childcare.
Real savings and educational equity can only be achieved with extensive consolidation, he said. That’s why he was so disappointed, he added, when a consolidation task force that worked after last year’s legislative session declined to draw maps of proposed new districts. The task force instead called for districts to collaborate on cost-saving measures.
“From my perspective, the recent failure to produce maps was a political strategy to preserve the old system,” Scott said.
When former education secretary and task force member Rep. Rebecca Holcombe (D-Norwich) heard that, she leaned back in her chair, smiled and shook her head. She did not join her colleagues in applauding many of the governor’s remarks.
Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick (D-Chittenden-Central), co-chair of the task force, said afterward the governor’s claim that she and other Democrats wanted to preserve the status quo was “ludicrous.” Dems are committed to reforming the system, but in ways that respect and engage local communities and produce actual savings, Gulick said.
“It has to be done properly so we don’t harm children, families and communities,” she said.
Some small schools do struggle to offer adequate academic opportunities and likely will have to close, she said. But some data indicate small schools provide better outcomes, and that needs to be acknowledged, she said.
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