MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A new report from the Vermont Agency of Education is highlighting enrollment, proficiency and spending trends. According to the report– and compared nationally– Vermont has some of the smallest schools, highest staffing levels and highest expenditures per student. This comes as assessment scores are declining.
The report shows assessment scores are about 10% lower for all grades and subjects compared to pre-pandemic data.
The information is nothing new to state leaders but they say it gives them solid jumping-off points for growth.
Despite the legal battles over her position, Vermont Interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders is getting to work. After a contentious election season over school spending, Saunders is working on finding a sustainable way to balance education costs with student learning.
“How does that investment in education help us to achieve our desired goals in ensuring that every student has the substantial equal educational experience, and also at a rate that taxpayers can afford,” Saunders said.
The Vermont State Education profiles show total enrollment has decreased statewide and compared to other schools nationwide, Vermont’s high spending and staffing are not yielding smarter students.
The report shows proficiency rates in English language arts and math declining, scores which took a hit during the pandemic.
Despite that, Vermont Principals’ Association Executive Director Jay Nichols says he’s seen some positive trends in the past year.
“My members, mostly, and my assistant principals say this year right here is the first year where they really feel like it’s getting back to normal school,” Nichols said. “I think we’re doing pretty well, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to focus on trying to improve.”
For improvement, Saunders says part of the state’s strategic plan asks how they align the resources available at the state level to support and sustain the biggest needs in the field.
“In some instances, it may be conversations around consolidating schools, in other cases it might be around how do we share resources or organizing our programs in ways that can reach a broader audience without the need to consolidate,” Saunders said.
But Nichols believes consolidating isn’t necessarily going to bring in money.
“I think over time it could stop the rapid increase of costs but never was meant as a money saver, it was meant as an ability to offer students more offerings, especially at the middle and high school level,” Nichols said.
The report details how more resources are needed for schools with free and reduced lunch recipients and English language learners.
Vermont’s pupil weighting program tried to address the need to ensure equity among all students.
“That’s what we should be trying to do in our education system,” Nichols said.
But it in part led to subsequent tax hikes across Vermont. Saunders says it’s a top priority going forward.
“Some of the conversation is around how do we reinvest in order to maximize the limited funding that we do have on those strategies that are going to be most impactful for students, and having conversations also in how we do that in an affordable way,” Saunders said.
This report is only the first in several reports about the state of education. Saunders says the agency is going to meet with education leaders to analyze some of the best practices schools are implementing and how can those be shared with other supervisory unions across the state.
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 08:35:00
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