Residents at CBU tell Senate panel forced consolidation wont solve high property taxes

Seth Longertz, chair of the Senate Education Committee, opened a field visit at CBU High School on Dec. 8 to hear how Vermont districts of different sizes are delivering education and to gather testimony before the upcoming legislative session. Committee members toured the school, met students and staff, and then heard public comments on funding, consolidation and program delivery.

Carl Bauer of Williston told the committee he supported "expenditures of money on education and lots of it" but urged a new look at administrative costs. "We moved to Williston in 2012 with a $5,277 school tax. Last year, we paid $7,169," Bauer said, adding that the increase translated to about a 35.9% rise for his family and that continuing increases were becoming "unbearable."

David Connery, who identified himself as a Shelburne resident and "vice chair of the CBSE scribe board," said his district had cut roughly $5,000,000 and 42 positions in one year and another $4,000,000 and about 40 positions the following year. He warned that the funding formula in Act 73 "does not adequately allow [us] to continue to fund the programming that you saw today" and cautioned that forced mergers on a compressed timeline would create chaos and poor outcomes.

Former lieutenant governor David Zuckerman told the committee voters had signaled concern about high taxes and urged the Senate to separate short-term tax relief from longer-term structural changes. "If you overhaul the education system as originally forecast through Act 73, that's not gonna change this year's 12% rate at all," Zuckerman said, arguing that some consolidation and shared services could save money if implemented precisely and without removing local control.

Teachers who addressed the panel similarly questioned large-scale consolidation as a cost-saving measure. Paul Lasher, an elementary teacher at Heinzberg Elementary School, said making districts much larger "is not gonna save money" and warned that large central offices often grow with additional managerial layers. Lasher urged the committee to consider alternatives such as changing how second homes are taxed.

The public testimony repeatedly returned to trade-offs between local control, program continuity and tax relief. Several speakers argued that consolidation could yield savings from pooled contracts and shared services, while others said it risks adding central administration or eroding services that support student belonging and inclusion.

The committee did not take formal action at the meeting. Chair Seth Longertz closed by thanking the school community for hosting the visit and said the panel would carry lessons from the day back to Montpelier as members weigh policy options in the upcoming session.