Dear Editor,
The tax commissioner has released his annual estimate of what our average statewide property tax will be next year, based on expected revenues, expected property values, the budgets school boards are proposing to local voters, and other currently existing costs in the education fund.
The letter projects a 5.9% property tax increase. While it could have been worse, this is still too much on top of recent increases.
As school boards build their budgets, all the fundamentals that drove high spending last year are still in place. These increases include cost pressures boards cannot fix on their own, including:
Double-digit increases in healthcare premiums – last year, increases in teacher healthcare and mental health costs drove total spending up about $100 million, or 10 cents on the tax rate.
Our extraordinary shortage of housing paired with our aging population means we have fewer school-aged children. Fewer kids means higher costs per kid to maintain our same basic programs.
School districts are responsible for more social services, including for an unprecedented number of unhoused children this year.
Our personnel-to-student ratio is very high as our student population declines.
We need to both reduce spending, and to create a new funding formula that appropriately directs resources. This increase in property tax rates is unacceptable. This concerns me, as I know it concerns you. Between high housing costs, high healthcare costs, and high costs of living, far too many families are very concerned about paying their bills.
I will be working to make sure every child has the opportunities they need at a price taxpayers can afford. That will mean we have to do a few things differently. I believe all options should be on the table. I am open to some hard tradeoffs to protect what we care about most for our children, while protecting people from cost increases they cannot afford.
I appreciate those of you who shared your concerns and priorities over the last couple of months. I will bring your hopes and concerns to our conversations in the legislature. I have great faith in Vermonters’ ability to work together and compromise to solve hard problems, once we put our minds to it.
Sincerely,
Rep. Chris Morrow
Windham-Windsor-Bennington District