Education

Progressives support education as a major principle, perhaps we should work to update the antiquated pricing policies of UVM and other state supported colleges.
 
Harvard offers a financial aid package for middle and lower income youth. If the parents earn less than $60,000 a year, a high scoring youth can get into Harvard FREE. And for families in the $120,000 to $180,000 income range, the tuition will be no more than 10% of the annual income. Yale, Pomona, Swartmore, Stanford and other schools have similar financial aid packages for middle income families. These schools have big endowments and they are in competition for the best and the brightest students.
 
The result is that brilliant Vermont university-bound youths would not miss the idea that they can attend a high prestige university for less than the cost of attending UVM.  The in-state tuition at UVM is about $15,000. Add room and board expenses, then the total costs near $24,000. That is a hard number for Vermont families making $60,000 a year and imagine if you have two kids at college age. It’s impossible.
 
I suggest we push for modern financial aid packages in Vermont. UVM should establish a policy that for families earning less than $70,000 a year, a student of high merit pays no tuition. For kids that were not valedictorians or in the top ten of their high school graduating class, perhaps the families should pay 5% of the annual income up to $120,000. After $120k to $180k, the 10% tuition applies.
 
This is a complex issue with many concerns to be addressed. But the middle and lower income families are being squeezed out of higher education by every increasing tuitions and stagnant wage increases. And Vermont students are not going to succeed in a modern world and live a progressive life without higher education.  The best and the brightest will go someplace else besides Vermont. Something like this suggestion needs to happen, soon.

To the legislative members of the UVM Board of Trustees:

I appreciate you providing the rationale behind your decision to give outgoing UVM President Dan Fogel an outrageous severance package. But, essentially you say it is justified because it is the norm and UVM has to go along to attract its next President. I completely disagree. I would have liked you to oppose it and I think most Vermonters agree.

Tuition costs are increasing. UVM and our State Colleges are among the most expensive in the country. A college education is growing further out of reach for many Vermonters and we want to do more to keep young people in Vermont. Giving Fogel hundreds of thousands of dollars to do nothing is simply ridiculous.

Our last legislative session was dominated by talk of tough times, belt tightening and sacrifice. We passed a budget – I voted against it – cutting over $30 million from human service programs. We cut services for seniors and people with disabilities and decided not to fund health services for kids with autism.

We refused to ask wealthy Vermonters to pay a little more in taxes to help fund needed services (I proposed an amendment to do just that) and instead raised taxes on health services so already struggling families will pay more. Public employees and government officials took pay cuts. At UVM some workers were laid off, wages were frozen and the University continued reliance on part time faculty who get very low pay and no benefits for doing the same work as higher paid faculty.

From what I understand Fogel did not share the sacrifice. Rather than take a pay cut, he doled out bonuses to UVM top administrators. So, in the middle of all this belt tightening, and sacrifice, UVM, a supposedly public institution, getting taxpayer dollars, is rewarding someone who is leaving over $34,000 each month for 17 months to do nothing.

While parents are mortgaging their homes to pay for college, we are paying Dan Fogel’s mortgage. While we struggle with health care costs, Dan Fogel is getting health insurance and a wellness plan. When he is finished his exceedingly well-paid vacation he is guaranteed a job at a salary well above others doing the same work at the same place.

Many of us express concern about increasing economic inequality. We decry CEOs who make obscene salaries while working families struggle. Yet, you are giving this guy more each month to do nothing than many Vermonters will make for 12 months of hard work. Those of us concerned about the rising cost of a college education will have an awfully hard time explaining this to Vermont parents and students.

Legislative representatives to the UVM Board, especially those who voted for a state budget that was balanced on the backs of working families and those in need, should have voted no on this outrageous package. You could have made it a teachable moment. You could have made UVM an example of a better way of doing things. You could have been a voice of reason. You could have spoke up for students and families, and for common sense. I am disappointed you missed the opportunity to do the right thing.