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School budget ranked in top 5
MIKE GLEASON, Staff Writer

NORTH BENNINGTON — The North Bennington Graded School ranked in the top five schools in the state in terms of money spent in classrooms, according to First Class Education for Vermont.

The group, co-founded by state Senator Wendy Wilton and Fair Haven teacher Curtis Hier, reported that about 73 percent of North Bennington's education funds are spent on direct instruction. The group was founded to establish a 65-percent benchmark for educational funds spent in the classroom. The school's total expenditures, according to the state Department of Education, was around 1.5 million in fiscal year 2005, meaning around 1.1 million was spent on direct instruction.

"(Our group) took a look at how the top states (in terms of educational testing) were spending education funds, and they saw the states were spending more in the classroom than the ones at the bottom," said Hier.

Representatives from the school were pleased.

"It was very nice to see," said Principal Joy Kitchell. "North Bennington is such a great community, and there is such a commitment to the education of the students."

Raymond Mullineaux, chairman of the North Bennington Prudential Committee, also praised the community.

"This district, thanks to support from the community, has a strong history of valuing education highly," Mullineaux said. "When I go to floor meetings, the primary concern is education, not taxes."

Kitchell speculated that the nature of the school might have helped North Bennington.

"One of the benefits of being a small school is that administrative costs are kept down," Kitchell said. "The board works very hard to be mindful of how much is being spent."

Kitchell said the commitment to spending more in the classroom will continue.

"We're just beginning the budget process now," said Kitchell. "We're trying to keep the costs down where we can."

First Class Education for Vermont encourages a 65 percent benchmark for money spent in the classroom.

"I know some people think 65 percent is simplistic," Hier said. "What we do now is spend and spend and spend until taxes are too high and we have to make educationally unsound cuts. That's simplistic."

Wilton said 65 percent is a realistic goal.

"Vermont schools used to spend 65 percent in the classrooms, but that's trended down to 61 percent," Wilton said. "We need to put resources back in the classroom."

The Vermont offshoot does differ from its iterations in other states.

"Other groups have tried to establish a state mandate," said Hier. "We want a dialogue with school boards and voters. Currently, there is no frame of reference for how much should be spent in classrooms."

Other schools in the area were ranked as well. Pownal had 71 percent of its educational funds spent in the classroom, Shaftsbury 66 percent, Bennington 64 percent and Mount Anthony High School 61 percent.