Current Realities 2010: A Snapshot of Management & Policy Issues in Vermont Public Schools Presented by the Vermont School Boards Association Vermont Superintendents Association Vermont Principals’ Association September,

Part I: Overview 2

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Vermont Public Schools: State Rankings 4 th best four-year graduation rate 4 th or better in reading (NAEP) 6 th or better in math (NAEP) Best AP achievement gains (College Board) 5

Percentage of 2 nd Graders Meeting or Exceeding the Reading Standard 6

RankState Current Expenditure Per Pupil (FY07) 1New Jersey$16,163 2New York$15,546 3Washington D.C.$15,511 4Connecticut$13,659 5Vermont$13,629 6Rhode Island$13,453 7Wyoming$13,266 8Massachusetts$12,857 9Alaska$12,324 10Maryland$11,975 U.S.$9,683 7

State Income per Capita (FY07)Rank New Jersey$49,1493 New York$47,3855 Washington D.C.$61,0921 Connecticut$54,1172 Vermont$36,67024 Rhode Island$39,46318 Wyoming$43,2267 Massachusetts$49,0824 Alaska$40,35216 Maryland$46,0216 U.S.$38,611 8

Student and Staff Ratios (FY07) VermontU.S. Student : Adult 5.0 : 18.0 : 1 Student : Teacher 10.8 : : 1 Student : Board Member 67 : 1 Student : Superintendent 1558 : 1 Board Member : Superintendent 23 : 1 9

“Act 60 and Act 68 are fundamentally broken and beyond repair.” Governor Douglas, Inaugural Address January 8, 2009 Courtesy of Vermont Public Radio 10

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Source: Public Assets Institute 12

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Defeated School Budgets as of Town Meeting Day 14

Source: VLCT, Joint Fiscal Office 15

“Way Forward” Gov. Douglas: Cut spending Legislature: Discourage spending increases 16

“Way Forward” continued Commissioner Vilaseca, former Commissioner Cate, Vermont Superintendents Association: K-12 District Alignment Vermont School Boards Association: Respect local authority 17

Part II: Education Funding Realities 18

(Net of income sensitivity) 19

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State Teachers’ Retirement System: State Appropriation 21

Tipping the Scales Cost Shifts Reduced State Revenue Property Taxes Spending Increases 22

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Base Education Amount Frozen Base Education Payment renamed Base Education Amount (BEA) BEA will not increase from FY10 to FY11 ($8544) Freezing the BEA compounds the effect of increased per pupil spending on residential taxpayers 24

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Source: Department of Education 26

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Includes federal, state, and local expenditure. Source: VT DOE 28

Statewide Education Spending Increase from Prior Year Source: Joint Fiscal Office. FY10 is a projection. 29

Legislature presuming 0% increase in education spending this year (FY2011) 30

Part III: Demographic Realities 31

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Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment Growing Rapidly Source: National Institute for Early Education Research 5% 9% 7% 10%11% 36% 13% 45% 14% 47% 16% 45% 17% 50% year olds4-year olds PERCENT OF STATE POPULATION ENROLLED

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Ratio Readjustment = $40 – $50 million savings annually 40

Managing Labor Costs Review planning time for consistency Hire flexible educators to share between content areas and schools/districts Early retirement programs / RIF retiree’s positions 41

Vermont-NEA Perspective Urging members to not: Re-open contracts Accept salary freezes or benefit reductions “symbolic not substantial” Supports Catamount health and national healthcare reform. See more: 42

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Part IV: Succeeding in the Current Climate 44

Energy Efficiency Free energy assessment walk-through (VSA’s SEMP program: ) Energy managers & Facility Operating Plans encourage best practices Policies and efficiency campaigns reduce energy usage 45

Purchasing: Flexibility! State contract Local discounts Bulk purchasing Leasing 46

Technology Utilize multifunction copiers Consider using free software Share costs with other organizations Consider distance and virtual learning 47

Collaboration Build regional collaboratives Share staff Bulk purchasing and technology Collaborate on regional professional development 48

This presentation will be available on the VSBA website following the final regional meeting on 9/30/09