“Thank you, Burlington!”
Burlington, VT For the tenth straight year, Burlington said “YES” to public schools on Town Meeting Day. Burlington School District’s proposed 2024-2025 budget passed with more than 71% of all votes cast in favor.
“On behalf of the School Board and our entire District, we want to thank the community for coming out and supporting Burlington schools,” said Superintendent Tom Flanagan and School Board Chair Clare Wool. “Last year voters overwhelmingly approved a bond for a new high school and technical center, and this year voters backed up that decision by voting to approve our budget. This vote is a huge vote of confidence for students, staff, and leaders. We know that Burlingtonians want to support great schools and it continues to show.”
Flanagan noted that because the District would need to begin paying for the new school, leaders and the school board worked hard to limit spending decisions within their control. “We knew the bond and increases in wages, utilities, and health care were going to have a huge impact on the budget, so we worked to offset other investments with reductions. In the end, we wanted to present a budget that continues to move us forward without asking taxpayers for exorbitant investments.”
Wool also noted that Act 127, the new weighted pupil law, played a major role in this year’s budget development process. “We continue to be grateful to the Vermont legislature for working to correct the inequities that plagued the school funding formula for so long. Without the updated formula, there is no way Burlington could have afforded next year’s budget. We urge the legislature to continue to support these new weights that are working to create balance and equity in the system.”
