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For years, Bellows Free Academy Fairfax has needed renovations.

The sprawling pre-K-12 school was constructed piecemeal over the better part of a century. The oldest section is roughly 80 years old. The newest dates back to the turn of the millennium.

As such 鈥� and as the district鈥檚 population grows 鈥� the school needs upgrades. A dearth of space has forced administrators to pack pre-K students into one classroom and teach elementary school classes in the high school section. Many rooms are cramped and lack proper infrastructure. 

The whole building needs to be outfitted with a sprinkler system in case of a fire. (The original BFA Fairfax was destroyed in a .)

鈥淲e do regular upgrades on things,鈥� said John Tague, the superintendent of Franklin West Supervisory Union and former principal of BFA Fairfax. 鈥淏ut, you know, to be able to really do a major project (that) requires any kind of expansion is going to require more money than we can set aside in a single year’s budget.鈥�

For Fairfax, however, passing a bond to finance such an expansion has not been easy. 

In 2017, voters rejected a $16 million bond for expansion and upgrades. Two years later, voters a second, roughly $26 million bond. 

, the district finally succeeded in getting voters to approve a $36.4 million bond 鈥� a sum more than twice the original amount, due to the rising costs of labor and materials. 

Even that vote, however, did not end the school鈥檚 saga. 

October鈥檚 鈥測es鈥� was decided by a margin of only 33 votes, and residents submitted petitions to revisit the issue. Finally, in January, residents went to the polls for a fourth, decisive vote: By a 66-vote margin, they

Throughout the public debates over the bond, according to Fairfax School Board member Scott Mitchell, one opposing argument has repeatedly surfaced: The district should wait for state or federal money to help pay for the renovations.  

鈥淚t’s a talking point of those that are against, sort of, bond issues,鈥� said Mitchell, who was the board鈥檚 chair during the past three bond votes. 鈥淭hat, you know, it’s a state-funded system. The state should be paying to upgrade our facilities.鈥�

That argument highlights a longstanding question among state and local education officials and lawmakers, one that has been asked with increasing urgency: Should the state government help build and renovate Vermont鈥檚 schools?

鈥楾errible shape鈥�

Less than two decades ago, Fairfax would have had that option. Vermont used to offer state aid 鈥� usually, up to 30% of construction costs 鈥� to help build and renovate local schools. 

That money came from the state鈥檚 , which pays for construction and renovation of state buildings. 

But in 2007, lawmakers put that program on hold. By that time, the state was sending 鈥渁n increasingly large percentage of its capital funds to school construction,鈥� according to a  from the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office.

The state was spending about $10 million a year on school construction 鈥� often roughly 20% of the state鈥檚 total capital funds. By the time the program was halted, the state had roughly  in school construction obligations 鈥� debt that was not fully paid off until 2016.

“Clearly, the general assembly cannot pay all school construction aid as well as fund other necessary capital projects,鈥� the 2008 report concluded.

Now, lawmakers are trying to revisit the issue. Language in two bills 鈥� , which focuses narrowly on school construction, and , the state budget 鈥� would examine the question of state money for school construction. 

Ordering a study, of course, is  that lawmakers will actually take action.

Since the 2007 moratorium on construction aid, questions about restarting the program have  resurfaced, to no avail. The Legislature  on school construction funding just two years ago, in fact 鈥� one that the state Agency of Education is currently completing. 

The question is one that is increasingly hard to ignore. Vermont鈥檚 school buildings are 鈥渋n terrible shape,鈥� according to Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals鈥� Association.

“It’s just like, you keep yelling about a problem but you never do anything about the problem,鈥� he said. “And you wonder why the problem keeps getting bigger. This is a classic example of that.鈥�

In 2020, a group convened by the state鈥檚 association of school superintendents found that Vermont schools  roughly  on construction and renovation in the coming years. 

A  issued a year ago showed that many of the state鈥檚 鈥溾�� of school buildings were nearing the end of their expected lifespan. Nearly 200 had confirmed 鈥渉azardous materials present,鈥� 81 had 鈥渋ndoor air quality issues,鈥� and 52 had 鈥渇ire/life safety issues,鈥� according to the report.  

That report described concerns only at a district and supervisory union level, and not the conditions of individual schools. A final, more in-depth report is expected this fall.  

A legislative focus

Lawmakers are already concerned about the state of Vermont鈥檚 schools.

Last month, the House and Senate Education committees wrote a  to the three members of Vermont鈥檚 federal delegation, asking them to 鈥渟upport measures before Congress that will assist the State in providing funding for school construction.鈥�

鈥淲ithout a dedicated source of funding, the State faces an immense backlog in school construction projects, which has resulted in unsafe and unhealthy learning environments and disparities in the quality of education,鈥� the committee members wrote.

Proposed language in both H.486 and the state budget would allocate $200,000 for a task force, made up of lawmakers and state and local education officials, that would study the state鈥檚 school construction needs.

The task force would examine 鈥渇unding options for a statewide school construction program鈥� and 鈥渁 governance structure for the oversight and management of a school construction aid program.鈥� A report would be due in January 2024. 

But the House and Senate differ on one key point: whether to halt the state鈥檚  for toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. 

H.486, which passed the House , includes language to pause the testing initiative. That proposal has the support of the state鈥檚 associations of principals, superintendents, and school boards. 

Key senators have expressed opposition to halting the program, however. 

鈥淚 continue to think it doesn’t make any sense, from where I’m sitting,鈥� Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, the chair of the education committee, which is in possession of H. 486, said in an interview Monday.

鈥榃e literally just don鈥檛 fit鈥�

At BFA Fairfax, students and staff don鈥檛 need a state report to know that their school needs work. 

On a recent tour of the building, teachers demonstrated their classrooms鈥� shortcomings.

鈥淥ur sixth- and seventh-grader band has about 70 students,鈥� said Glen Wallace, a school music teacher. 鈥淪o we literally just don鈥檛 fit in this room.鈥�

The full band usually does not rehearse together until just before a concert. Then, Wallace said, 鈥渨e have to take over the gym and go down there to rehearse and kick the PE teacher out of the gym.鈥�

School science classrooms are also lacking.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a lot of space to do labs,鈥� said Zach Smith, a science teacher, demonstrating his room鈥檚 lack of infrastructure. 鈥�(For) something as simple as water, you have to go to the next room where there鈥檚 a sink, or kids go to the bathroom. Or sometimes with labs I鈥檒l have, even, students out in the hall because they don鈥檛 have space. Which then disturbs others鈥� classes.鈥� 

To travel to all the school鈥檚 floors, students and staff need to take two elevators 鈥� one of which is too small to fit a stretcher.

The bond will add five classrooms to the building and upgrade existing facilities, such as music rooms, elevators, the cafeteria, and school entrances. A sprinkler system will also be installed. 

Construction is slated to begin in about a year.

A 鈥榤ore palatable鈥� option

Driven by inflation and a tight labor market, Vermont鈥檚  is projected to increase by nearly 8% over the current year鈥檚 price tag 鈥� the fastest spending growth 

In the Fairfax School District, voters  a 2023-24 budget that will increase 12.4% over the current year, largely because of the cost of the construction bond, Mitchell, the Fairfax board member, said earlier this year. That will drive up property taxes by about 7%. 

Vermont鈥檚 local school budgets are drawn from a state education fund, meaning taxpayers all over the state contribute to all school budgets. But the more a local district spends per student, construction bond service included, the higher its local property tax rates will be. 

If school spending continues to rise, such bonds could be an increasingly hard sell in some communities 鈥� even as school buildings deteriorate further. 

鈥淭here’s some urgency, I think, in a lot of schools to get some work done, and it would be helpful to have some clear financial pictures from the state,鈥� said Tague, the Franklin West superintendent.

But that clear picture 鈥渋s not coming immediately,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 for sure.鈥�

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