On town meeting day, March 5, 2024, the Harwood Union Unified School District (HUUSD) put the budget up to vote for the next school year that would cover all of their necessary costs. The proposed budget was approximately 51 million dollars and included money for maintenance, pay for teachers, and money to rehire positions within the school. However, the budget was voted down by a 65:35 ratio.
The school board and administrators went back to the drawing board to figure out what expenses could be cut without a significant effect on schools. They came up with a new budget of 48 million dollars. This budget would still have all of the necessary expenses, but it took away some of the maintenance budget, along with not rehiring less important positions. The new proposed budget was put up to vote on April 30, 2024 and was again voted down, this time in a 52:48 ratio.
Now, the school board and administrators are forced to consider other cost cuts that will have more of an impact on schools and the education of students within the district.
The new budget will force the school not to rehire more important positions that will have larger impacts on students’ learning experience. One example is that Harwood will not be replacing one of the middle school science teachers; instead the school will move down a high school science teacher to fill this position. They will also not rehire for a STEM position that is leaving.
STEM is a growing field that contributes greatly to our society. It is a high paying industry that has had growing interest from students. Losing both a science teacher and a STEM teacher will reduce the amount of classes available to students interested in this field. Core science classes will still be offered, however, classes such as “Environmental Science” and “Science of the Mind” may not be able to run, and if they do, they may have even more limited capacity.
The most publicized effect of this second budget is on the elementary school’s foreign language. With a foreign language leaving the district’s elementary schools, elementary students will no longer have any foreign language. According to research done by the University of North Georgia, learning a second language improves listening skills and memory. Language has been taught across our elementary schools, aside from Brookside Primary School, for as long as any of us can remember. What will our schools look like without it?
So why vote no with all of these negative effects on our students? Many voters of the budget feel as if the resulting tax increase would be too severe for them financially. Financial struggles have been intensifying in the past few years due to inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, tax increases are inevitable, and the schools need money to function correctly. Holding out on the budget will only cause more harm to our students, and to our community.
If you voted no, and you’re thinking along the lines of “I don’t have kids, why should I pay for other people’s education?” The unfortunate reality is everybody loses if Harwood can’t pass a budget. With worse schools, new families won’t want to move to the valley. This will affect our economy by lowering the amount of taxpayers and will eventually cause higher taxes for those still living here.
Another aspect to consider is that the district has a deadline for when it needs a finalized budget. This date is July 1, 2024. If the district does not have a budget passed by this day, it will need to take out a loan to cover costs for the school year. Taking out a loan only prolongs the costs our community will need to cover for our schools, and it puts our district in debt. Neither of these are beneficial to anyone involved.
Schools are essential to any community. Good schools motivate young families to move to a district. As a community we need young people to thrive. A good school will equip young people with the skills they need to contribute to a community. Young families fuel our economy as well. We need working age families to run our businesses and keep our towns going. Good schools will motivate these families to move to our district.
Finally, if you voted no to show that you don’t support the way that Vermont is handling school funding, I agree. The schools need much more funding from the state. However, voting no to one district’s attempt to pass a budget isn’t the way to go about showing opposition. Instead, write to Vermont’s legislature to give your thoughts on this topic. Speaking directly to your senators or representatives is the best way to have your voice heard. If the budget itself seems unfair, writing to the school board is another great way to share your opinions on this issue. Voting down Harwood’s budget is only causing harm to Harwood and its community.
As a community it is essential that we keep showing up to vote on the budget. Our district needs money to run, and if the budget doesn’t pass soon, it will be forced to take out a loan. What feels better: paying money to the schools that support our community, or paying money to a bank to try and pull us out of debt? The answer seems obvious.
