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________________________________________ THE VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT
April 10, 2006 - Vol. 6, No. 15
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Covering education news in Vermont and beyond...
Informative, provocative, unique...
Published by Vermonters for Better Education
VBE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence. Libby Sternberg, executive director: VTBetterEd@aol.com
NEWS & ANALYSIS...S.314 TO FULL HOUSE SOON
S.314, the early education bill requiring a study of the topic, is on its way to a full House vote soon after being passed unanimously by the House Education Committee last week.
In their consideration of the bill, House Ed spelled out how the study committee should be formed. As reported in last week's VER, that formulation includes spots for representatives of various education and child care groups as well as appointees of the Speaker of the House and Senate Committee on Committees. Even before the actual appointees are known, it's hard to imagine such a committee coming up with anything but a report saying Vermont taxpayers should definitely fund universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds.
WHAT WILL THE GOVERNOR DO?
An early education study committee's formation will not mean that public schools in the state will stop drawing down Education Funds to support existing and even new preschool programs. S.314 does not contain a moratorium on that spending, and the Vermont Department of Education believes such funding is legal under a State Board of Education rule passed several years ago. Last year the legislature decided to "codify" that rule by inserting preschool funding language into the budget bill. That language expires this June, leaving only the SBOE rule as a foundation for current early ed spending.
In his State of the State address, Governor Jim Douglas expressed concern about such early education spending:
"When enrollment is dropping, but spending is rising and taxes are soaring," the governor said at the time, "we have a problem that requires immediate action."
He urged the legislature to reconsider last year's decision to include early ed funding language in the budget bill:
"Last year, this General Assembly added a provision into the final budget bill that I fear will lead to an unacceptable outcome: adding two more pre-kindergarten grades to the already stressed K-12 education system and putting taxpayers on the hook to fund it. Instead of this approach, we need to find ways to assist our private pre-school providers. Through Building Bright Futures, we must ensure that all our pre-schools are of high quality and that our children are safe. I am asking the General Assembly to reconsider the decision to further increase the cost of education and the growing tax bills that accompany those costs."
Even though there has not been any movement to re-insert the same funding language into the budget bill this year, the current drawdown of Education Funds for universal preschool has the same effect. Therefore, the practice the governor derided in his State of the State address will continue to go on -- unless he or the legislature do something to stop it.
WANT TO TALK WITH THE COMMISSIONER?
Commissioner of Education Richard Cate continues his series of "regional parent meetings" next month with a meeting scheduled for May 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Montpelier High School. Parents are encouraged to attend these and "discuss with him how best to improve the quality of education for all children." For more information, contact the Vermont Department of Education at 802.828.3135.
VERMONT IS A BIG EDUCATION SPENDER
Vermont is among the top states in the country in per-pupil spending, according to a Vermont Press Bureau article by Darren Allen last week. Allen used just-released US Census Bureau figures to report that Vermont is only outspent by New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia when it comes to per-student funding.
Vermont spends a little over $11,000 per student, according to the census figures, and was the only small, rural state in the top-spending bunch. School size and low teacher-student ratios were targeted as the culprits for this spending by education leaders in the state.
The Vermont Economy Newsletter, a publication produced by economists Art Woolf and Richard Heaps, however, points out some other interesting aspects to this big-spending story. The April VEN observed:
"What is interesting about these comparisons is that out of the top five states ranked by per student spending, four out of five are in the top five states ranked by per capita income. Vermont is the outlier, with an income rank of 22nd in the nation. What this means is that Vermont taxpayers spend an extraordinary amount on our schools -- nearly all school spending in every state comes from state and local taxes; with little federal funding."
And more: "Our education spending as a share of income is 35 percent above the national average.....if our per pupil spending in 2004 was just equal to the national average, Vermont taxpayers would have saved $315 million."
The VEN then takes a look at what taxpayers get for this money -- in terms of student performance. The recently released New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) scores, says VEN, are "slightly misleading" because only Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island currently use this tool. While NECAP scores show students outscoring those other two states with hefty percentages in the "proficient or better" range, a look at national tests tells a different story.
On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, "only two in five (students) are (performing well) if we use federal measures."
VEN's conclusion: "it is certainly very hard to argue that our students' poor performance is due to a shortage of resources."
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COMMENTARY...ENOUGH ALREADY
by Libby SternbergIt's not what you spend, but how you spend it.
So says the New Hampshire Union Leader in an editorial about Vermont and New Hampshire education spending (the editorial is reprinted below). New Hampshire students score about the same as Vermont students on national tests. But the Granite State spends about 25 percent less.
Some might counter: if Vermont can afford to pay more, why shouldn't it?
Well, because it really CAN'T afford to pay more than New Hampshire. As the Vermont Economy newsletter points out, Vermont is the only state among the top five spenders in the country with a middling per capita income. The other four top-spending states score among the highest in per-capita incomes, while Vermont places 22nd.
School leaders point to small schools and low teacher/student ratios as the reason for our high spending. Those who favor changing that often suggest "consolidation" as the solution.
Let's be honest: "consolidation" is really a euphemism for closure. The consolidation crowd believes that closing some schools and concentrating administrative functions into more centralized systems would lead to economies of scale.
I'm not so sure of that. Centralizing any system usually leads to a disconnect between those in control and those who pay the bills. Accountability mists away.
Curiously, there's been little hue and cry over the possibility of small school closures in the name of "consolidation," but some education leaders cry like banshees at the possibility of school choice programs "stealing" even a few students from fragile small schools, thus endangering those schools' survival.
So it's okay if they close due to bureaucratic fiat. It's not okay if it's due to education consumer demand.
Meanwhile, while the high-spending finger is pointed at small schools and teacher/student ratios, the Vermont Department of Education encourages the spending of even more taxpayer money by getting behind the push for universal preschool.
Perhaps the latest Census figures will give them pause. We already spend more money than virtually every other state. Demanding that Vermonters also foot the bill for parents who can afford to pay for their own kids' preschooling is the height of arrogance.
Enough is enough. If Vermont wants to get serious about reining in education spending, the state needs to stop hoping things will change and make them change.
Stop devising new ways to spend Vermonters money and open the door to more school choice, for starters. I've been beating this drum for many years now and it's frustrating to see the lack of vigor applied to the issue by elected officials who claim to support the idea.
For example, how refreshing it would have been to see the governor touring the state promoting school choice the way he's done with his pet Promise Scholarship program.
Supporting school choice, however, means taking on its adversaries. The Vermont-NEA isn't going away. If you truly support school choice, you have to be prepared to take heat from the teachers union and its allies.
But ultimately it would be worth it. Expansive choice programs would benefit individual students and the states' schools and even the Vermont taxpayer.
Under school choice programs if a small school closes it will be because there is no demand for its services, not because a consolidation committee decided it should close.
In fact, some small schools that might have faced closure under consolidation plans could actually stay open if they reconfigure into exceptional educational institutions that attract students from beyond their arbitrary geographic boundaries.
As to spending....reputable studies show that choice provides increased quality at no increase in cost.
Choice isn't a cure-all. But it could end up being a cure-almost-all.
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FROM ELSEWHERE...FROM....The New Hampshire Union Leader
On the web at: http://www.Unionleader.comMONEY AND TEST SCORES: NH TAKES VERMONT TO SCHOOL
VERMONT'S PUBLIC school spending is $2,268 higher per pupil than New Hampshire's, a Census Bureau report released on Monday shows. The difference represents a quarter of New Hampshire's total per pupil expenditure. So, naturally, Vermont students score about 25 percent higher than New Hampshire students on national assessment tests, right?
Nope.
Students in both states took the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests in math and reading last year. This is the test referred to as "the nation's report card" because it is the best way to compare educational results among states. New Hampshire and Vermont students posted almost identical scores in each subject.
New Hampshire students beat their Vermont counterparts by two points in fourth-grade math and one point in eighth-grade reading. They tied in fourth-grade reading, and Vermont students outscored New Hampshire students by two points in eighth-grade math.
What did that extra $2,268 buy Vermont? Smaller schools, say Vermont education officials. And yet the Census data show that New Hampshire spent roughly 1 percent more on classroom instruction than did Vermont.
The Census report placed Vermont fourth in the nation for per pupil public school spending, while New Hampshire ranked 17th nationally and last in New England. Some surely will use those rankings to argue for more school funding. Yet the data show, once again, that educational quality is not measured in per pupil spending.
As in other areas, frugal New Hampshire gets more bang for its educational buck than its bigger-spending neighbor. It's not what you spend, but how you spend it that matters.
As local school districts this spring ask for more and more money for next year, that's something to keep in mind.
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WHO COVERS EDUCATION IN VERMONT?
We do! Consider a gift to Vermonters for Better Education, the publisher of the weekly Vermont Education Report, Vermont's ONLY continual source of education news. Send donations to: VBE, 170 Church Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701. VBE is a nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.
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The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education 170 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802.773.5240 Contact VTBetterEd@aol.com for more information.
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