PROGRAMS & SERVICES:
SCHOOL FINANCE
(Updated 5/10/13)

Data Collection for Average Classroom Student-to-Teacher Ratio
In 2010, Act 153 was enacted into law. Section 17 (2) directed the Commissioner to present to the House and Senate education committees classroom student-to-teacher ratios at the supervisory union level.

Dates:

Complete and return the survey within the time period of February 18 and March 11.

Important Documents:

• Memo from School Finance Team PDF
  Explains reasons for collecting the data and how the information will be used.
  
  
• Average Class Size Calculation Sheet EXCEL
  This Excel file is designed to collect data to allow DOE to calculate an average class size for each supervisory union and supervisory district in Vermont.
  
  
• Instructions PDF
  General instructions pertaining to how to use the Excel spreadsheet, including information on: macros, column types, and more.

Who's NOT Required to Participate:

Teachers of the following classes are excluded from the data collection as these classes may vary widely in number:

• special education
• band, orchestra
• physical education
• driver’s education
• English for speakers of other languages

Two-Vote Provisions: 16 V.S.A. § 563(11)(B)
Section 563(11)(B) of Title 16 requires a school district to present its proposed budget for FY2012 divided into two questions if two conditions are met. The first condition is if the district’s FY2011 education spending per equalized pupil exceeds the FY2011 statewide figure of $12,203.99. If condition one is met, the district must then look at the FY2012 education spending contained in the proposed budget. If the proposed FY2012 education spending exceeds FY2011 education spending adjusted for inflation plus one percent, the district must present its budget as two questions. NOTE: The statute does not address many issues surrounding a budget vote under the two-vote language. The agency has developed technical advice for districts meeting the two-vote criteria in order to assist their planning for two votes.

• Technical Advice PDF
• Determine Two-Vote Requirement EXCEL
  

Preliminary School Tax Information for Town Meeting (FY2012)
Town meeting grids are designed to estimate the amount of education property tax a homeowner would pay on a house and up to two acres for the coming tax year. The grids are based on board- approved preliminary budget data submitted to the department. Town meeting grids may be viewed on the legislative Web site using the link above.

Data Collection Materials & Training Information
Each fiscal year, the agency collects data from Vermont's supervisory unions and school districts. In addition, the agency provides training to help school professionals provide the data. This area provides access to training material, data collection instructions and forms for submitting data to the agency.

• Guidance released by the U.S. Department of Education on August 13, 2010

Estimated Allocation of $19 Million Federal Education Jobs Fund PDFThis document lists the district allocations of the $19 million Federal Education Jobs Fund, calculated on the federal requirement by the state funding formula. The money was distributed by Congress with the intention of preventing educator layoffs. This amounts to a 1.67 percent allocation per school district. Contact Brad James at brad.james@state.vt.us or (802) 828-0471.

Accounting for FY2010 Education Fund Payment
Use the following links to view letters that detail the payments from the FY2010 Education Fund. For school districts whose education costs are covered entirely by education property taxes, the letters direct school districts how to code education property taxes received from the town so as to properly reflect the sources of the money. NOTE: School district letters will be found under their respective supervisory union links below:

• Supervisory Unions A - C
• Supervisory Unions D - M
• Supervisory Unions N - R
• Supervisory Unions S - W

A Vermont Government Website Copyright © 2013 State of Vermont. All rights reserved