COMMENTARY
Public high school choice
Act 129 of the 2012 Legislative session changed state law to permit statewide public school choice, grades 9-12 only. Though a step forward in principle, in practice the change offers weak choice opportunities and few incentives, particularly as compared to the robust parent-directed choice opportunities available for many decades to residents of Vermont’s school choice districts.
The principal shortcoming of Act 129 is the absence of any financial support. Consequently, students residing outside of the full school choice districts cannot automatically receive public funds to attend a public school outside of their home district or any independent school. In contrast, students resident in a full school choice district will continue to be eligible for public tuition support.
Full choice districts, which do not operate either or both an elementary school and a high school, function on a money-follows-the-student financial model. Absent a similar financial support system, the public schools have no incentive to encourage outbound transfers or to welcome incoming transfers unless the sending and receiving school districts to reach a tuition agreement, which in practice has proven to be an unlikely event.
In addition to the missing financial support, Act 129 also provides elaborate enrollment protections for the public schools, limiting the number of students who may leave one school and the number who may wish to enroll in another school, imposing stringent application and notification date requirements and even allowing the home district to continue to count outbound students for state aid purposes.
In short, Act 129 is carefully crafted to avoid upsetting public schools, but is not crafted to serve parents wishing to choose a school that is best for their children. The evidence that the Act 129 program is not encouraging public high school choice is clear: of more than 25,000 eligible public high school students, only about 300 qualified under the public high school choice system in the 2016-2017 school year.
VISA, which represents Vermont's independent schools community, advocates unrestricted parent-directed school choice supported by a money-follows-the-student financing model.
The principal shortcoming of Act 129 is the absence of any financial support. Consequently, students residing outside of the full school choice districts cannot automatically receive public funds to attend a public school outside of their home district or any independent school. In contrast, students resident in a full school choice district will continue to be eligible for public tuition support.
Full choice districts, which do not operate either or both an elementary school and a high school, function on a money-follows-the-student financial model. Absent a similar financial support system, the public schools have no incentive to encourage outbound transfers or to welcome incoming transfers unless the sending and receiving school districts to reach a tuition agreement, which in practice has proven to be an unlikely event.
In addition to the missing financial support, Act 129 also provides elaborate enrollment protections for the public schools, limiting the number of students who may leave one school and the number who may wish to enroll in another school, imposing stringent application and notification date requirements and even allowing the home district to continue to count outbound students for state aid purposes.
In short, Act 129 is carefully crafted to avoid upsetting public schools, but is not crafted to serve parents wishing to choose a school that is best for their children. The evidence that the Act 129 program is not encouraging public high school choice is clear: of more than 25,000 eligible public high school students, only about 300 qualified under the public high school choice system in the 2016-2017 school year.
VISA, which represents Vermont's independent schools community, advocates unrestricted parent-directed school choice supported by a money-follows-the-student financing model.