Editor’s note: This article is by Derek Carson, of the Bennington Banner, in which it was first published Sept. 19, 2015.
POWNAL — The secretary of education has denied a waiver that would have allowed the school to continue running its own buses.
View of a school bus through a rainy window.
Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union superintendent Jim Culkeen approached the Pownal school board in December, informing them that their operating of the own school buses had been found by the state to be in violation of Act 153 of 2010, which requires all transportation to be handled by the supervisory union, as a cost saving measure. Pownal had argued that their bus drivers provide a higher quality of service, for less than the buses operated by Dufour Tours, which the rest of the supervisory union uses.
“The issue of Pownal’s transportation scheme going forward needs to be resolved,” wrote Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe in a letter to Culkeen. “The Pownal Transportation Analysis you submitted demonstrates, using credible evidence, that Pownal, the SU, and by extension, the state Education Fund, would all see significant savings if Pownal School District joins the Dufour Inc. contract. This potential cost saving is forecasted to yield savings of over $106,000 alone in FY 2017 to the SU. This cost study reveals that by maintaining a district owned/operated fleet, Pownal’s disparate transportation scheme within the SU, should it persist, will add extra costs on the whole.”
Holcombe said that, because the school year has already started, she would be willing to allow a one-year waiver, but only “with the explicit understanding that Pownal will join the otherwise SU-wide contract for transportation, beginning July 1, 2016.”
Culkeen said that next week, the SVSU board will have to vote whether to accept the conditions of the waiver, at which point, after the conditions are accepted, Holcombe will grant the waiver. If the board does not vote favorably, Holcombe said, “the Agency will have no choice but to initiate a review pursuant to Section 39 of Act 46.”
According to that section, the secretary has the authority, if a supervisory union or one of its member districts is refusing the comply with certain provisions, to raise all of the property tax rates within the districts of the supervisory union by 5 percent in the first year, and in every subsequent year that the districts are not considered to be in compliance. The law does say that, “If the Secretary determines that the failure to comply with the provisions … is solely the result of the actions of the board of one member district, then the tax increase … shall apply only to the tax rates for that district.” Culkeen is required to respond to Holcombe within seven days of the SVSU vote.
“If the SVSU board votes, and you don’t comply, you get hit with a 5 percent assessment,” explained Culkeen to the Pownal board. “If the SVSU board doesn’t vote, a year from now, all SU member districts could get hit with the 5 percent.”
“You can continue to study and argue it,” said Culkeen, “but I think in her mind the decision has already been made.” He pointed out that the secretary was only giving Pownal this additional year because it is too late to change their transportation, as the school year has already started.
When board member Tammy Sohl said that it sounded like Culkeen had already caved to Holcombe, he responded, “I don’t see it as I’ve caved. I’m complying with the order that the secretary of education has given me as superintendent. We’ve been questioning this since November.”
“It’s not just the money,” argued board chairwoman Cynthia Brownell. “That’s what these people in Montpelier need to understand. It’s not just the money, it’s the dedicated drivers, it’s drivers that if they go to a house and nobody’s there, they don’t drop that kid off. We don’t have to change our (school starting times) with our buses. There’s so many things.”
Culkeen responded, “I’ve heard the secretary say this a number of times now, that’s fine, if it were your money. But you’re spending somebody else’s money to do that, because you take more from the ed fund than you send. You are a receiving town. It’s state money, it’s somebody else’s money that you’re overspending because you want the Cadillac transportation system.”
“I’m not saying this last letter was an ultimatum,” he concluded, “but it sure sounded like one.”
“But you know what,” said Brownell, “This board doesn’t take threats lightly, and to me, that letter was a threat.”
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