By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger The latest data from the Vermont Agency of Education shows a small decrease in projected education spending and affirms previously anecdotal evidence on the major factors causing a projected increase in education property taxes. Health care costs, construction, special education, disappearing federal money and increased salaries are all contributing significantly to a projected…

On Town Meeting Day 29 of 93 reported budgets were voted down By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Voters struck down close to a third of school budgets across Vermont on Tuesday, March 5, the highest proportion in at least a decade, according to the Vermont Superintendents Association.  Twenty-nine of 93 reported budgets were rejected, according to unofficial results…

By Glenn Russell/VTDigger Above: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke in South Burlington on March 3.   By Emma Cotton and Paul Heintz/VTDigger Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won her first state in the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday — and it happened in Vermont.  Haley defeated former President Donald Trump by the slimmest of…

Articles, municipal budget pass, Haff re-elected By Polly Mikula Whether to authorize cannabis retailers to operate in a defined business district on Killington Road passed by the smallest margin, just 21 votes (265 for to 244 against) on Town Meeting Day, March 5. Voters also approved a budget of $7,021,304 — up $419,050 over last year,…

Follows other area districts in region Submitted Staff report A number of area school districts made a last-minute decision to pull school budget articles from the Town Meeting Day ballot. The Mount Ascutney School Board removed a 2023-24 budget proposal from an approved Town Meeting warning on Feb. 12. Strafford school officials followed three days…

Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) passed its $29,756,674 budget, an 11% increase over last year's spending; which translated into a 6% in the equalized tax rate. Tallies trickled in throughout the night. As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, six of the seven district towns had reported results —only Woodstock, which was expected to pass the budget…

By Habib Sabet and Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger In fall 2023, the leaders of the Milton Town School District unveiled the design for its new elementary and middle school (pre-K-8) at a cost of $200 million, which gave the community pause, but it was the challenges of the current annual budget cycle that ultimately led the district to table the…

Data courtesy state of Vermont, map by VTDigger Map shows how school districts throughout the state have been effected by the new changes in tax capacity as a result of Act 127’s most recent updates in calculations. By Erin Petenko/VTDigger and Polly Mikula Rural areas of the state stand to gain the most from a new…

By Katy Savage Woodstock residents will decide on an $8.02 million budget on Town Meeting Day March 5, of which $6.6 million is to be raised from taxes. The budget is up about 4% from last year and expected to increase taxes about 6%. Voters will also decide on a 1% option tax. The tax…

By Katy Savage Rutland City voters will decide on whether to change the language of a charter to remove fluoride from the water on Town Meeting Day, March 5. Residents and professionals had mixed emotions at a Jan. 29 public hearing. Some residents said having fluoride in the city water is a violation of medical…

Courtesy Killington Resort Cheers to spring skiing! Girls toast to unforgettable moments at Killington, with the iconic Superstar ski trail in the background, adorned with bumped-up moguls. Killington Resort is roaring into spring with a jam-packed event series as the longest season in the East extends beyond the rest. “Long after other resorts have called…

Qualifies project as eligible for state aid, once reinstated as expected The state Agency of Education (AOE) has endorsed Mountain Views Supervisory Union’s (MVSU) plans for its new middle/high school construction project. This decision qualifies the project for construction aid upon the state’s reinstatement of the program. “The Capital Outlay Financing Formula (COFF) establishes the…

MVSU district budget, yield, rates, effect on taxes, questioned By Polly Mikula The difference between a projected statewide yield per student of $10,250 and $9,775, probably doesn’t cause alarm for most. But the effect on local taxes could be significant: to the tune of a 11% increase in the base equalized tax rate and a15%-30%…

Submitted Staff report On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Mountain View School District (MVSD) administration received information about a potential threat to the Woodstock middle and high school. After speaking with police, they determined that the campus would be closed until law enforcement and crisis intervention agencies determined the campus was safe. The school district administration…

By Holly Sullivan/Community News Service Editor’s note: The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. Laura Derriendinger wants to protect Vermont children from social media, or as she defined it to Senate Education Committee members Jan. 26, “a…