Ken Fredette: Learn about Vermont public education

This review is by Ken Fredette of Wallingford. He is a board member of the Vermont Friends of Public Education.

In early spring of this year, a small group of longtime school board members (most former, one current) gathered to talk about fighting back against the long-standing attacks on our public schools. We decided to start a grassroots effort called “Friends of Vermont Public Education.”

Our mission It is clear: “To ensure that the distribution of public money for education in Vermont is consistent with our state and federal constitutions. “All schools that receive public funding must agree to comply with the state’s public school rules and regulations.”

One challenge, of course, is a fairly recent decision by the United States Supreme Court: Carson/Makin, 2022 – opposes the mandatory support and common good provisions of our state constitution. More and more tax dollars to fund education in Vermont are being funneled from our public school budgets to support private institutions that do not provide common benefits for all, and now religious schools have been added to that budget.

Take the non-secular Mid Vermont Christian School. In early 2023, when the school superintendent signed the Vermont Public Accommodations Act, an anti-discrimination law on which public funding depends. added a warning written under his signature, stating that the school “has the legal and Constitutional right to hire and discipline employees, to engage with others, and to make decisions based on its religious beliefs, including admissions, conduct, and operational policies and procedures.”

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with Peter D’Auria
18 December 2023 06:0617 October 2024, 21:36

So Mid Vermont Christian will not agree to be open to anyone, whether employees or students, but will happily take our tax dollars; This constitutes a violation of both clauses referred to above.

Our organization sent a three-question survey to the Montpelier city council to candidates hoping to be elected in November to represent us on the use of public funds for private schools. Candidate responses can be found at: savevtpubliced.org

See where your candidates stand. Or if they didn’t respond to our survey, ask why. While our stance on the issue is transparent, as our mission statement demonstrates, we at Friends do not endorse any candidate; We want voters to be able to make informed choices.

The upcoming legislative session will be dynamic as our legislators try to balance how to rein in tax rates with providing a “free and affordable education” for all Vermont children. An obvious first step regarding the latter would be to encourage taxpayers to understand how their dollars are being spent. This means the same financial transparency for all schools that receive public dollars, not just for public schools as it is now. Then and only then can voters base their decisions on all available information and let their local representatives and senators know how they feel.

We will continue to follow their work at Friends of Vermont Public Education. Commission on the Future of Public Education in VermontHe will make recommendations to our legislators for short- and long-term changes in our education system. The commission’s initial focus is property tax relief, but this can and should go hand in hand with student success.

So please stay informed and vote.