Comparative tax rates

At town meeting, I presented a chart showing the projected FY16 homestead tax rates for all towns in Chittenden County.  This information was taken from the Agency of Education's spreadsheet, and represents the actual amount that would show up on a town's tax bill (it includes the projected adjustment for CLA).

Some have been surprised to see that we were 14th out of 19.  The majority of our neighboring districts have made budgetary decisions that result in a higher homestead tax rate than Westford has.  

This chart doesn't speak to educational opportunities in each of these districts.  Some tax rates are driven by declining enrollment--others may be from increased budget devoted to student programs, lower revenues, etc.  In many ways, the above towns are competing to attract residents and potential students.  Tax rate can be one consideration, but educational quality is surely another.  Striking a balance between the two is key.  

A public school transitioned to an independent school model is currently being used by two districts in Vermont (Winhall and North Bennington ID).  I have been asked what the resulting tax rates for both of those towns are.  Below are the official tax grid calculations provided by the State of Vermont to voters of those districts for Town Meeting Day.  

Proposed tax rates were $1.7463 for Winhall and $1.7547 for North Bennington ID.  These districts account for the two highest tax rates in Bennington County.  Like Westford, these rates are for the education of all K-12 students within the town, not just the elementary school students.  I cannot speak to the budget details of either of these districts, but the tax information gives us one data point to make some relative comparisons.