This commentary is by Paul Dame, chair of the Vermont GOP.
For years, Vermont has been struggling with a self-inflicted consequence of our unaffordability crisis. As our state gets more expensive, especially for middle income families, we are not wealthy enough to afford a high cost of living, and who are also not poor enough to qualify for many state programs, we end up with a missing middle from a population perspective. One of the pervasive problems with our incredibly high per pupil spending comes from the fact that every year we have fewer and fewer kinds in our K-12 education program. And before the session is over parents of school-aged kids may find themselves considerably worse off than ever before for multiple reasons.
Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont GOP
Between the $8.5 Billion budget passed by House Democrats, as well as other measures being considered or already passed by the Senate, parents stands to lose a great deal this year. The worst offense which will impact the greatest number of people is the proposal to eliminate the Child Tax Credit. Right now, just like on federal taxes, Vermonters get a tax credit for each of their dependent children to provide some relief to all the burdens that come with raising and caring for the next generation of Vermonters. The current tax benefit applies to all dependents, but Democrats are looking at eliminating this benefit, and using the new higher income taxes that families will pay to fund childcare, which would only be available to parents of children who are infants through Pre-K. This might be a net positive for parents of the youngest kids, but it will be a net loss for everyone whose children are school age – or for families who intend to have one parent stay home with a young child.
In addition, Democrats are looking to restrict the time honored tradition of towns tuitioning students to other private schools. Certain leftists are reeling from the Supreme Court decision which required Christian schools to be equally eligible to receive tuition money as other schools. But the new proposal in VT would be so broadly applied, that it would affect a wide variety of schools, including putting restrictions on any private schools that operates in Vermont, including some of the mountain schools who have trained Olympic athletes. Included in the bill is a ban on any new independent schools gaining approval after August.
Parents of school-aged children will also be paying more in taxes because instead of working with Governor Scott’s union-approved plan for a voluntary paid leave program, Democrats are pushing a mandatory paid leave program which will be funded by a brand new payroll tax. While this will hurt parents of school-aged children, the impact will go far beyond that as well and raise the cost of living for every worker in the state.
And lastly, families are going to be paying more though some fee hikes at the DMV. License renewals for parents and the registration for the family minivan are all going up, to the tune of $20 Million or more in total. This is an especially egregious proposal because the DMV does not need the fee increases to cover their operating budget. The DMV fees are supposed to generate the revenue we need to run that organization – not be a slush fund for various other programs. But Democrats have chosen the latter.
Republicans don’t just oppose these measures, but we have put forward constructive alternatives that address many of the same problems, but without the harsh consequences. We should be expanding the Child Tax Credit – not eliminating it. We should be expanding the opportunities for students to enroll in private schools – not restricting access. We also have a voluntary paid leave plan that doesn’t cost taxpayers anything – instead of a new payroll tax. We also join Gov. Scott in his commitment to no new taxes or fees – especially coming off a year that is likely to end in a budget surplus.
Our children are our future. But we have to make sure that we aren’t pushing parents away with more policies that make it harder to raise a family in Vermont. We have to continue our effort to make Vermont’s government more affordable, more accountable, and more flexible so that we can help protect and prosper young families who can mature to become the next generation of leaders here at home.
I, for one, would be interested in knowing just how many like myself are meekly ponying up taxes to pay for an inferior, overpriced “education” system that we have never used–and never will.
If there’s a surplus in the budget Why doesn’t the government help the people in the State as many other States have. I pay over three thousand dollars in property tax. Other States have lowered the amount having to pay in. Or to even give out stimulus checks like all of the neighboring States have done. I’m on a fixed income and can’t even afford to get things fixed in my home And it doesn’t look like food or fuel prices are going to be coming down soon. There’s so much more that can be done for the people in VT.
Christian schools are private schools and oriented in a religious manner. They should not be funded or underwritten by public funds, period. Lovely to see the level of demagoguery raised so high in the spirit of bipartisanship and concern for children.
Look- if things are not paid through a tax on all, it is paid through a tax or fee on some. That’s just the way it is. Money does not grow on trees. It is only allocated from a source of funds.
Thank you, I agree!
I believe it is also worth pointing out that the current “progressive” agenda also includes silencing and punishing those (schools, administrators, parents and students) who believe that women’s sports are for women. The VPA’s unopposed banning of a school from all sports because of that school’s withdrawal from a tournament, over this issue, was not just stunning, it was a slap in the face to women who strive to excel at a sport and believed they had a “level playing field”.
He’s right…Families take heed: You are already held hostage to a disappointing school system. Your confiscated resources run a government business that can’t possibly satisfy your kids’ diverse educational needs. And, as described, you are now faced with a regime determined to manage more of your daily lives…by confiscating MORE of your resources. Is this not bondage? Is this what we wanted when we voted for these folks? Can we reassert control of them? …can we tell them to stop?
100% … and supporting diverse education goes against the Ledt’s agenda…. if you are actually educated to think for yourself instead of being indoctrinated into their cult, it spells trouble down the road. Better get all the kids in one place where education is a distant second to creating another generation reliant on government aid… that’s where they get their votes.