To the editor: Ludlow-Mount Holly community urged to attend special school board meeting

Dear Ludlow-Mount Holly Community,

We are reaching out to invite you to a special meeting of the Ludlow-Mount Holly school board at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in the Mount Holly Elementary School.  The meeting will be held in person and will also be accessible by the following Zoom link:

•  https://trsu.zoom.us/j/86535498062

Due to the legislated changes in education funding that took effect last year, our tax rates have been significantly impacted.  Unfortunately, because of the way education is funded in Vermont, we have minimal control over our local tax rates.  Essentially, all taxpayers in the state contribute to the financial needs of all school districts.  Therefore, when we reduce costs in our district, it has only a minor effect on our local taxes since the savings are distributed across all state taxpayers.

Conversely, when our costs increase, the effect on local taxes is generally minimal because the funds are drawn from all taxpayers in the state.  Because of this mechanism, we can make major, catastrophic cuts in our school budget and our local taxes can still rise if other districts increase spending.

LMH faces another challenging year due to the impact of this legislation.  Many schools have had a significant portion of their budgets shifted to other districts and have been forced to make up for the shortfalls by asking for more from taxpayers.  Adjusting to these changes will take time, further limiting our ability to control local taxes.  In the meantime, we must make difficult decisions about what is best for our children.  This crisis was brought on by shortsightedness and most likely a lack of understanding of the overly complex tax and education funding system in Vermont.  While the state’s intentions were certainly good, it is the impact that matters, and we are now left to try to salvage some good from the wreckage that has been left behind.

Additionally, LMH is facing further challenges.  First, the federal government has raised the threshold for student eligibility for Free and Reduced Lunch, causing 22 of our families to no longer qualify.  This not only affects those families but also reduces the funding the district receives.  Lastly, the district utilized nearly half a million dollars in one-time funding last year to lessen the burden on taxpayers.  Since these funds were used for essential services, this year’s budget must increase by that amount to cover the shortfall.

We have tough decisions to make as a district that could, if we are not careful, permanently and tragically change how the district is structured; because of this, we need your input and ideas at Wednesday’s meeting.  The meeting can be attended in person or by the following Zoom link:  https://trsu.zoom.us/j/86535498062.

Most sincerely,

Layne Millington
Superintendent
Two Rivers Supervisory Union