To the Editor:

Act 60 is broken.

It feels like we are stuck in the mud – the more we spin our wheels, the messier things get. Just look at all the Band-Aids that have been tacked on over the years – Act 68, Act 185, Act 130, Act 82 – the list goes on.

So how do we break free and move forward?

First, there needs to be clear consensus that the current education funding system, Act 60 is, in fact, broken. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to advance meaningful change unless there is broad recognition that we have a major problem with the current system.

At the same time, we must accept our state’s obligation to provide an equal educational opportunity to Vermont schoolchildren. There is nothing in our state constitution that mandates Act 60, and no reason why we cannot find an alternative that fulfills our constitutional obligation. In fact, I think we can develop an education system that not only does a better job of equalizing educational opportunity, but actually improves the overall quality of education in Vermont, at a lower cost.

To properly address education funding, we also need to look at the closely related issues of education spending and governance. Together, these three components (funding, spending, and governance) represent a three-legged stool; any effort to fix one needs to be done in coordination with the other two. These three legs are the levers that control our return on investment: educational outcomes. Our goal should be to maximize the outcomes in the most equitable manner, while reducing costs.

Any meaningful reform of Act 60 will require a multiyear commitment to change by all relevant stakeholders: the governor, the Legislature, school boards, educators, and the people of Vermont. So what would be the goals of a new K-12 education system? Here are a few that I would start with:

• Provide exceptional educational outcomes that prepare our children for the global marketplace

• Promote innovation in learning

• Ensure substantially equal access to educational opportunities

• Define what an education is, in the context of what the state is obligated to pay for

• Provide a funding mechanism that is affordable, fair, transparent, and intelligible

• Provide spending controls that promote efficiency

• Strengthen local control with greater accountability for local spending decisions.

Based on the preliminary goals outlined above, I would start by changing the school consolidation conversation. Without question, there are opportunities to provide improved educational opportunities for our children and reduce costs by consolidating some schools. We need to be honest with ourselves.

However, a mandate to consolidate school districts and schools with a top-down approach will likely have unintended consequences, and may not yield the desired cost savings, particularly when there are unwilling partners involved.

An alternative approach would be to gather data on consolidation efforts that have already taken place throughout the state. There are important lessons learned that should be shared. These experiences can be leveraged through a set of tools that would help facilitate data gathering, analysis, and discussion of consolidation options in other districts at the local level.

Candidate school districts could be offered financial incentives to undertake a formal consolidation analysis. If a school district moves forward with consolidation, the district could be rewarded by sharing directly in the actual cost savings for the first year or two, instead of allowing the savings to be lost in the complexities of the per-pupil spending formulae as would be the case today.

Currently, there is very little incentive for school districts to even consider consolidation. But given tools and the incentives, local school districts will make the smart choices. The result will be a better education opportunity for Vermont schoolchildren, at a reduced cost.

We all need to be involved in this discussion. What are your thoughts? How would you approach this differently? Send me an e-mail at oliver@oliverolsen.com.

Rep. Oliver Olsen

Jamaica