School Choice

The biggest disappointment of my first term in the legislature was the battle for school choice. There is a large group of people who don't understand our choice system and how our kids go seamlessly from public to independent schools and that it works well. The discussion has drifted into irrational and emotional cul-de -sacs, with near rabid proponents of abolishing the fine independent institutions we enjoy. We will need to keep up the fight to preserve what we cherish.

On April 16 of this year, Representative McCaan presented an amendment to the big education reform bill that would force independent schools to follow all the same rules as public schools - eliminating the benefits of being independent. I was not happy. Here is the speech I gave to the legislature. Needless to say, it did not go over well in some quarters - but it needed to be said.

Madame Speaker,

This amendment builds upon provisions in Act 73 and H955 to dismantle, erode and otherwise undermine the ability of our fine independent schools to educate our children and I ask the body to vote against it. The number of independent schools has decreased from 44 to 18 with the passage of Act 73. H955 effectively makes a number of the remaining 18 schools unviable by eliminating the ability to charge for tuition above the foundation formula rate. This amendment would simply further degrade the quality of education for our children by undermining the very basis of what makes schools independent - their ability to pursue excellence as they see fit. 

We can recall that our conversations about education last winter began with a property tax revolt, not a sweeping chorus by Vermonters for wholesale education reform. Are independent schools a cost driver of our current system? The answer is no. Districts that tuition students to independent schools consistently demonstrate lower spending and slower cost growth compared to state averages. 

You’ve all seen the list of debt burdens taken on by public school districts across the state and heard the astronomical numbers associated with needed upcoming public school construction and repair. In contrast to these extremely large burdens placed on the taxpayers of Vermont, independent schools raise their construction funds through private donations. For example, I sent my daughters to Burr and Burton Academy, which has raised over $40 million in the last 20 years for facilities construction. And as a reminder, Burr and Burton accepts all students from the 13 official sending towns, and benefits many other students from choice towns in the region.

You might think that independent schools are not regulated in Vermont. That there is a need for oversight. The public school governance rules addressed in this amendment (Education Quality Standards -2000 rule series) is 23 pages long. But there is another Rule Series that applies to independent schools -2200 - which is 43 pages long. Unlike public schools, Independent schools undergo a formal review and re-approval process by AOE and the State Board of Education every five years, which includes a site visit and an assessment of the school’s facilities, finances, curriculum, culture, and academic and safety policies. This has been sufficient to maintain quality.

But what if a student or parent is dissatisfied, you may ask? Well, as opposed to public schools, under rule 2226.2.1, there is a formal mechanism to lodge a complaint about an independent school with the Agency of Education that allows for the suspension or revocation of their approval status. 

The point, madame speaker, is that there is ample oversight of independent schools. There is an educational ecosystem in parts of the state where students flow seamlessly from public to independent schools and they receive an excellent education in both systems. There is no need for discrimination; coexistence in the interest of our children’s education should be our guidepost. I’d like to ask the body to acknowledge that the children in my district, and similar tuitioning districts across the state, deserve the same attention, opportunity and love as the children in the rest of the state. Harming them does not solve our spending problem, our equity dilemma or our governance issues. 

Please join me in voting against this amendment. 

Thank you.