Vermont Legislative Outlook, 2007
Vermont's Commissioner of Education, Richard Cate, is spearheading a statewide "conversation" about his proposal to consolidate districts, reducing the number of school districts from the current 284 to 63. Though he insists this will not involve school closings, opponents of his proposal aren't convinced. To advance this proposal, the Department of Education is sponsoring 30 focus forums throughout the state to ascertain community sentiments about this concept.
Meanwhile, in the statehouse, Governor, Jim Douglas (R) was re-elected in November with campaign promises to curb education spending by instituting a budget increase cap. With a solid Democrat majority in both legislative houses, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to get this legislation passed.
The Legislature, has, however, committed itself to re-examining the funding/taxing system for public education. Many citizens are complaining that continual increases in education costs have made the tax burden (primarily property taxes) unsustainable. Leaders in both houses have indicated that any and all proposals to decrease tax burdens and/or limit cost increases will be examined.