School boards to vote whether to call for scrapping budget law

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Vermont school boards and the teachers’ union often are at odds when negotiating labor contracts, but here’s something on which the two may end up in agreement.

The School Boards Association holds its annual meeting this Thursday, and it will be voting on whether to ask the Legislature to repeal Act 82. That’s the law calling for a second local vote if a school board wants to increase a budget by more than inflation plus 1%.

The Vermont chapter of the National Education Association also is calling for scrapping that law, which was a last-day-of-the-session compromise this past spring between lawmakers and Gov. Jim Douglas.

Among those calling for repeal is John Nelson, executive director of the School Boards’ Association. Nelson says the law shows a lack of respect for local school boards.

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