Issue Position: Education Finance

St. Johnsbury continues to receive an inequitable education tax rate. Act 60 mandated that district homestead tax rates be determined by how much a district spent per equalized pupil. This is inherently unfair because a district's spending is only partially supported (27%) by homestead taxes. The net effect is that low spending districts pay a rate premium to support rate discounts given to high spending districts. A $1.00 homestead tax rate supports a pupil spending level of $13,200. Presently, a district spending $13,200 receives a tax rate of $1.31. The difference, $0.31 allows for higher spending districts to receive a discounted rate.

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