The hardworking School Boards in the Franklin-1 communities of Fairfax and Georgia are diligently working to fund essential school programs as they prepare the 2025-2026 budgets. These budgets will be voted on during Town Meeting Day, March 5.
Unfortunately, the timing for school budget preparation is always challenging. School Boards must finalize budgets for voter approval before the legislature has made decisions about funding. The legislative session for 2025-2026 will not begin until January 8.
Our School Boards face significant constraints. They cannot directly address many factors driving costs, such as:
Rising healthcare expenses
Inflation
Mental health care needs
Declining student populations
Housing challenges
Increasing human services costs
Numerous other factors impacting the bottom line
Please know that we both heard your concerns about affordability loud and clear during the campaign. We remain committed to supporting tax rates that are sustainable for our community. However, the legislature has not taken action yet, as we are not currently in session.
The December tax letter from the Tax Commissioner provides only an estimate and serves as a warning of potential challenges ahead. If circumstances remain unchanged, we may face another steep increase in school property taxes. A new school funding program is desperately needed, but creating and implementing one will take time, and that work cannot begin until the legislature convenes in January.
We are with you. In the meantime, we are actively gathering data to develop solutions that work for our communities.
We encourage you to reach out and share your thoughts with us. We are here to listen and help.
Rep. Carolyn Branagan Email: cbranagan@comcast.net
(Note: Carolyn is using her personal email until the legislative session begins in January.)
Rep. Ashley Bartley Email: abartley@leg.state.vt.us
We look forward to hearing from you!
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