Current:Home > StocksVermont governor signs school funding bill but says it won’t solve property tax problem-InfoLens
Vermont governor signs school funding bill but says it won’t solve property tax problem
View Date:2024-12-23 18:37:46
Vermont schools can now postpone their March school budget votes and rewrite their spending plans after Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law on Thursday aimed at addressing soaring property tax increases, largely driven by rising education spending.
However, it’s not clear how many school districts will take that step less than two weeks before Town Meeting Day voting. Property taxes are projected to rise an average of $18.5%.
The governor warned that the legislation, which also removes a tax cap instituted by legislation passed two years ago aimed at making education more equitable, does not solve the property tax problem.
“These changes will only reduce rates if school boards adjust their budgets accordingly and local voters support those changes,” the governor wrote to lawmakers. “It’s also important to note the projected spending increase this year is $243 million, so even if every single school board makes adjustments to their budget, we’re unlikely to avoid significant property tax increases.”
When the Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, senators acknowledged that this is just the first step.
“Once we fix this, we still have schools that are spending at an unprecedented rate, increasing spending and it’s unsustainable,” Sen. Ann Cummings, a Democrat, told Senate colleagues. “If school budgets pass there will be some severe consequences for people who can’t afford their taxes.”
The law includes a $500,000 appropriation for towns to use for printing and warning constituents about these looming school budget votes.
“Some schools may move forward and let the voters decide and maybe the vote will be passed or maybe not,” said Sen. Jane Kitchel, a Democrat representing Caledonia County. “Some districts have gone back and sort of scrubbed their proposed budget.”
Scott, a Republican, wrote in a letter to legislators that when he signed the student weighting formula bill in 2022, he called on the legislature to address the cost pressures it added and avoid adding more before the formula took effect.
“Had the Legislature worked with me to do so, we would all be in a better place today,” he wrote.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
- Top-ranking Democrat won’t seek reelection next year in GOP-dominated Kentucky House
- Virginia woman wins $777,777 from scratch-off but says 'I was calm'
- Michigan State selects UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor as next president
- Craig Melvin replacing Hoda Kotb as 'Today' show co-anchor with Savannah Guthrie
- Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' Exes Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig Spotted Together Amid Budding Romance
- Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone’s favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’
- Review: Tony Shalhoub makes the 'Monk' movie an obsessively delightful reunion
- Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
- Could Trevor Lawrence play less than a week after his ankle injury? The latest update
Ranking
- The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
- Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone’s favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’
- Air Force grounds entire Osprey fleet after deadly crash in Japan
- Kevin Costner Sparks Romance Rumors With Jewel After Christine Baumgartner Divorce Drama
- Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
- Trump gag order in 2020 election case largely upheld by appeals court
- Derek Hough reveals his wife, Hayley Erbert, had emergency brain surgery after burst blood vessel
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
Recommendation
-
Brianna LaPaglia Addresses Zach Bryan's Deafening Silence After Emotional Abuse Allegations
-
Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps
-
Bills coach Sean McDermott apologizes for crediting 9/11 hijackers for their coordination while talking to team in 2019
-
Rot Girl Winter: Everything You Need for a Delightfully Slothful Season
-
Tropical Storm Sara threatens to bring flash floods and mudslides to Central America
-
Michigan State selects UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor as next president
-
Use these tech tips to preserve memories (old and new) this holiday season
-
Israeli military says it's surrounded the home of architect of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack