VBR Addresses Current State and Future Trends in Education [8.14.14]

South Burlington, VT – At the invitation of Kevin Dorn, South Burlington City Manager, Roundtable President, Lisa Ventriss, addressed state leaders at the Vermont School and Municipal Leadership Conference on Education Property Tax and Funding Reform  on the “Current State and Future Trends: Public Education in Vermont” today.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Ventriss acknowledged that the Roundtable’s Board of Directors convened last year to discuss ways in which to:

  • “Get Unstuck” from our education rut, where there has been a lot of talk, but little action.
  •  Gain traction on comprehensive, system-wide education reforms, and move beyond words to actions,
  •  Create an “Informed and Engaged Public,” which is essential to any major policy change.
  •  That results in improved educational experiences and outcomes for all our career or college-bound students.

Since then the Roundtable has used data to tell the story and convey the “urgency” with which we believe change must happen.

EdFundSustainability
An Issue of Sustainability: Since the passage of Act 60, school property taxes have increased almost 3X greater than the rate of CPI. Source: Vermont League of Cities and Towns

Download Ms. Ventriss’ presentation, “Current State, Future Trends: Public Education in VT.”