Pelham has never like the Ed Fund and would use any excuse to scuttle it. There is no more or no less to his refusal to fulfill his legal obligations.
 

Gee, the doogie debacle is gonna fleece the education fund and bash teachers in an effort to make up some of the shortfall resulting from their own gop-slime incompetence.

Now who coulda seen that comin'.
 

This could be part of a wide-ranging debate on the practice of dedicating revenue streams and then changing the rules or ignoring them when it becomes convenient.

There are Democrats and Republicans who have been talking for a long time about ending the practice of taking money from the Transportation Fund through the JTOC process. That's about $35 million annually.

Maybe the administration is just making the Ed Fund surplus a chip that can be traded against the JTOC money later.
 

"Nothing in that letter implying that the money wouldn't be used for property tax reductions."

Only his desire not to "harm" the "flexibility you and the governor need to craft an overall fiscal course for the state in these times."
 

Independent Vermonter said...

"This could be part of a wide-ranging debate on the practice of dedicating revenue streams and then changing the rules or ignoring them when it becomes convenient."

Or not.

"Maybe the administration is just making the Ed Fund surplus a chip that can be traded against the JTOC money later."

Maybe not.

Given this incompetent-trash administration's record of looting the transportation fund, letting Vermont's roads and bridges go to hell, teacher-bashing, trashing education whenever and wherever possible and doing as little as possible whenever possible responsible for putting us in this fix in the first place, you're gonna have to do better than "maybe", Indy.

Always a pleasure.
 

I pay a lot in property taxes, but it would be more expensive if there weren't good roads to get there or educated people to grow the economy.

We need roads.

We need schools.
 

We all do and you're right.

School Buses tend not to last longer on bad roads, but if you're doogie and ya can bash teachers and blame it on education and the property tax instead of taking responsibility for your own failed policies, inaction and incompetence, who gives a damn about the facts when ya can just tell the loons what they wanna hear.

Face it, outside of the doogie/dubie debacle, it's tough enough for intelligent, skilled, educated, experienced, qualified and competent people to get decent jobs, so, unless they're still in one piece and can reenlist, the knuckle-draggin', take back vermunt trash comprisin' the gop-slime base don't have a prayer, but they don't have to know that when ya can just trash teachers and blame the VSEA for your incompetence.

God forbid the gopologist likes of boy blunderville, beeper-boy, gibbs and helluvajob hofie should have to compete for jobs they're actually qualified for.
 

The Ed fund has been stealing from the Transportation fund for year.
 

You need roads and you need schools but you don't need to spend this much on schools.
 

Local voters decide how much is spent on the schools.

If you think your school spends too much, go to your local school board meetings.
 

What about the lottery proceeds?
 

"If you think your school spends too much, go to your local school board meetings."

You think we don't? Act 60/68 completely disconnected what we vote for and what we pay. Have you been in a bubble all this time?

p.s. Is that you, Joel? Or is it Angelo?
 

And the ignorant anonymous trash train rolls on into the nameless-nitwit night...

Anonymous....

""If you think your school spends too much, go to your local school board meetings.""

"You think we don't?"

"Gee, I don't recall seein' any ignorant anonymous trash quotes reflected in the minutes, little factually-challenged fella."

But, as always, feel free to point out where the record reflects your ignorant anonymous ass weighin' in on this or any other matter.

Somethin' that doesn't end with " after repeated warnings by the chair that no more outbursts and disruptions would be tolerated, unidentified nitwit was forcibly removed from the meeting by the police" would be a refreshing change of pace.

Let me put this as simply and tactfully as possible so as not to confuse your ignorant anonymous ass, little fella.

You're a fraud, schmuck. A factose-intolerant fraud.

The only way to save on education expenditures and still have schools reach their federal state and local mandates to provide “substantially equal access” to education for all Vermont students, regardless of where they reside as outlined in the Brigham Decision under the Vermont Constitution is through school consolidation.

If you wanna be some Woodbury Wahhabi forcin' kids to spend 80 percent of the school day engaged in mandatory prayer, forced recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and worshiping portraits of reagan, shrub and doogie, get your sorry butt a time machine and relive your little school house by the dairy fantasies on your own time and your own dime.

"Act 60/68 completely disconnected what we vote for and what we pay. Have you been in a bubble all this time?"

Nice try, nitwit. On the list of things disconnecting your sorry butt from reality, ACT 60/68 doesn't even make the top 500.

Let me explain somethin' to ya, shmendrik.

Whether you bubbkis, nekkie boy and the rest of the scum vote/take back vermunt trash like it or not, Brigham, like Brown on the Federal Level, is here to stay, little clueless-cretin fella.

The bad ol' days are as dead as jim crow, clueless. Deal with it.

The court, in Brigham v. State of Vermont, concluded that under the Vermont Constitution, the state must provide "substantially equal access" to education for all Vermont students, regardless of where they reside.

That means that all Vermont kids have the same rights to an education under the Vermont Constitution whether they live in Killington or Caanan.

Brigham's carved in stone, little fella. The Legislature can tweak it. They can refine and fine-tune it. They can call it Act 60, Act 68 or whatever they want, but they're gonna have to address the issue.

Deal with it, dil-weed.

Always a pleasure, bubbakis.
 

"You think we don't? Act 60/68 completely disconnected what we vote for and what we pay."

Local voters decide local budgets. If the voters want to pay less, they'll vote to spend less. It's that simple.

Nobody is passing school budgets except voters at town meetings.
 

Anonymous said...

"What about the lottery proceeds?"

Sure. Just thing how big that pot had be if doogie'd had his druthers and givin' it to Wall Street to work their magic with.

Like his boy, shrub, doogie ain't all the problem, but he's a cancer and nothin' is gonna get better until that tumor is cut out and nuked.

If they wanna start makin' cuts, they can start with boy blunderville, helluvajob hofie and most of the overpaid and under-qualified hacks at the pavilion putz's ministry of propaganda office.
 

Anonymous said...
"You think we don't? Act 60/68 completely disconnected what we vote for and what we pay."

"Local voters decide local budgets. If the voters want to pay less, they'll vote to spend less."

Really? Try cuttin' NCLB or any of shrub's other brain-dead unfunded mandates and see how far ya get.

That's as big a myth as doogie's delusional "it's all the fault of the teachers" trash.

The Feds don't fund their share of education. The states don't fund their fair share of education.

The property tax is no way to fund education any more than it's a good way to fund the defense department.

No matter what bubbakis tells ya, this is almost 2008, not 1908.
 

Anonymous

"You need roads and you need schools but you don't need to spend this much on schools."

Well, little nameless-nitwit fella, now that you've painted yourself into a corner, just how much are ya supposed to spend?

Knock yourself out, nitwit.

That's entertainment.
 

ignorant anonymous trash
little factually-challenged fella
your ignorant anonymous ass
unidentified nitwit
your ignorant anonymous ass
little fella
You're a fraud
schmuck
factose-intolerant fraud
your sorry butt
nitwit
your sorry butt
shmendrik
bubbkis
the scum vote
take back vermunt trash
little clueless-cretin fella
clueless
little fella
dil-weed.
bubbakis
hacks
putz's
brain-dead
delusional
little nameless-nitwit fella
nitwit
 

"You think we don't? Act 60/68 completely disconnected what we vote for and what we pay."

Local voters decide local budgets. If the voters want to pay less, they'll vote to spend less. It's that simple.

Nobody is passing school budgets except voters at town meetings.
 

"Try cuttin' NCLB"

Great NEA talking point. But the NECAP tests cost a pittance compared to what the schools spend on administrators, secretaries, aides, counselors, etc, none of it mandated by NCLB.

"It's that simple."

First time I've ever heard our funding system called simple.
 

Actually NCLB diverts a lot of financial resource to preparing for a standardized test -- which isn't actually the great way to teach.
 

"Actually NCLB diverts a lot of financial resource to preparing for a standardized test -- which isn't actually the great way to teach."

Another great talking point -- and common mis-perception. It's too bad the public believes every thing the school officials say.

NCLB forces schools to focus on reading, writing, and math skills in the early grades. Those building blocks are essential for later learning. You cannot teach to a reading test without teaching reading. Same with writing and math. So the whole teach-to-the-test thing is a myth, at least for NCLB.
 

"fewer people are buyin' your anti-education excrement buy the second"

"buy"?

You mean "by."

You can't spell either, you tool!
 

Anonymous...

""fewer people are buyin' your anti-education excrement buy the second""

"buy"?

You mean "by."

I do, eh, little factually-challenged fella?

Is it your clueless-cretin contention that one goes to the supermarket to "by" a gallon of milk now, too, nitwit?

If so, I'm not buyin' that either.

Oy Gevalt! What a putz. I really must be livin' right to have adversaries as dumb as your ignorant anonymous ass, little fella.

You really are right off the back of the schmuck truck.

Don't go changin'.
 

I think he means the "buy" in "buy [sic] the second.

President Bush spent ridiculous amounts of money funding education. What leaders in education wanted was a wish list of things they claimed would bring schools into compliance, such as small class sizes and hiring all kinds of reading specialists. So they arbitrarily set a number that to them meant full-funding. And it was a number that that they knew Bush could never reach. The fact is that Clinton's Goals 2000 mandate cost more money and achieved far less than NCLB. Instead of calling me a teacher basher, why don't you look up some facts about that?

You'll never believe me that I'm a teacher with a master's degree, so I won't say it. But just try to keep up with me on education reform, JW. I'll keep going until it looks like all you got are insults.
 

Anonymous said...

"I think he means the "buy" in "buy [sic] the second."

Then ya should have said so, little fella, because that was an actual mistake on my part.

"President Bush spent ridiculous amounts of money funding education."

Ridiculous amounts, eh?

Can ya be a bit more precise in your answer, little fella.

Nice try.

Then I'm sure your ignorant anonymous ass will have no problems provin' it, little fella.

Take your time. Like this clueless-cretin contention of yours, you're not goin' anywhere.

"What leaders in education wanted was a wish list of things they claimed would bring schools into compliance, such as small class sizes and hiring all kinds of reading specialists. So they arbitrarily set a number that to them meant full-funding."

Ya mean like this vague arbitrary BS you're tryin' to feed me now, little fella? I'm not buyin' that, either.

So, what you're sayin' is that educators wanted to educate and the tools and the resources to enable them to do so as effectively as possible. The nerve of those bastards.

"And it was a number that that they knew Bush could never reach. The fact is that Clinton's Goals 2000 mandate cost more money and achieved far less than NCLB."

Well, your word on the matter is good enough for me, little nameless-nitwit fella.

Nice try.

By whose estimation, little factually-challenged fella, yours?

No sale.

"Instead of calling me a teacher basher, why don't you look up some facts about that?"

Fine, you're ignorant anonymous trash with bupkis who can't distinguish your ass from your elbow and you're makin' claims ya can't substantiate. Happy?

"You'll never believe me that I'm a teacher with a master's degree, so I won't say it."

Ya mean like ya just did, little fella? Fine. That'll be our little secret, schmuck.

Either way, I'm not buyin' that, either.

There are people who value and support education and then there's the ignorant anonymous gop-slime shrub-shillin' likes of you, little fella.

Let me know if I'm goin' too fast for ya.

Always a pleasure.
 

If I had meant to refer to the first "buy" I would have used it the way you did (buyin'), putz!

You're so psychotic that: 1) you continuously chastise other people for making spelling errors, but make them yourself, and 2) you can't even recognize your own spelling errors when they're specifically pointed out to you.

"Oy Gevalt! What a putz."
 

Well, JW, I'm not going to cite sources because I'm not writing a research paper here. We'll have to go on the honor system. Suffice it to say, I have no reason to lie.

Federal spending from 2001-2006 on K-12 education increased 40 percent. Title I spending increased 45 percent. Special ed. spending went up 59 percent. To say that isn't enough is to admit that it was underfunded in the Clinton Administration. But, of course, Clinton would never be e4r5a target of the education establishment.

"So, what you're sayin' is that educators wanted to educate and the tools and the resources to enable them to do so as effectively as possible."

That's the most naive statement I've heard on this site, at least recently. Educators are no more and no less honorable people than the rest of us. The field of education is as much vulnerable to mission creep and bureaucratic bloat as any other. And they should be held fiscally accountable like the rest of us. Here in Vermont, we have to ask the question, how much is enough? If it's not $14,000 per child, what is?

"There are people who value and support education and then there's the...[insult, insult, insult]..."

So, you're saying it's not possible to want to support education and want to hold it fiscally accountable at the same time?

I believe our original beef was that you claimed NCLB was a burden. Where have you proved your assertion?
 

And when was no child left behind instituted?
 

2001. Your point?
 

Anonymous

"Well, JW, I'm not going to cite sources because I'm not writing a research paper here. We'll have to go on the honor system. Suffice it to say, I have no reason to lie."

Sure, little fella. After all, it's not like you're just some nameless nitwit spewin' psychotic slop ya can't substantiate and frequently can't spell or anything.

Absolutely. Your word is gold and I'll be right with ya as soon as I'm done providing my SS#, Bank Account PIN numbers and credit card numbers to these nice Nigerian Bankers I've been talkin' to after accepting their emergency collect call.

Nice try, nitwit.

You're an anonymous shrub shill singin' the praises of NCLB while claiming to be a teacher of an unnamed grade, level and/or subject with a masters degree in an unnamed discipline spewing vague, unsubstantiated slop about shrub spending "ridiculous" amounts on education before following that load of gop-slop nonsense up with some unattributed statistics of dubious ancestry and even more questionable accuracy before asking me to trust and telling me that you have no reason to lie.

That's gotta be the most nai

Suffice it to say, nice try. No sale, schmuck.

You're ignorant anonymous trash with bupkis, little factose-intolerant fella. Given that reality rarely does you any favors and the facts ain't your friend, you have neither the reason nor the capacity to tell me the truth.

"So, you're saying it's not possible to want to support education and want to hold it fiscally accountable at the same time?"

No, I'm saying that shrub shills in general and the gop-slop spewin', nameless-nitwit likes of you in particular don't want to do it, little factually-challenged fella.

Gop scum have been trying to eliminate the Department of Education and destroy the teacher's union almost as long as they've been trying to reimpose mandatory Christian prayer in school, little fella.

The only reason ya got a late start was because mandatory Christian school prayer was eliminated before the Department of Education came into being.

Apart from the occasional dash of demands for creationist crapolla disguised as "intelligent design" to be taught as science, the elimination of Sex Education for everyone under the age of 35 or some Holocaust Denying nitwit who doesn't want his kids seein' "Schindler's List" because it puts Christians in a "bad light", any and all gop-slime notion of "education reform" begins and ends with breakin' the teacher's union, mandatory school prayer, the overturn of Brown and a return to state-sanctioned segregated schools or some other form of flat-earth bs that will usher in a return to the good ol' days.

"I believe our original beef was that you claimed NCLB was a burden. Where have you proved your assertion?"

Is NCLB a Federal Mandate?

Is it fully-funded?

Dismissed.
 

Anonymous....

"2001. Your point?"

Who was President when NCLB was passed in 2001, little fella?

Who controlled Congress?

What issue caused lifelong Republican Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont to tell dick to go cheney himself, bolt the gops and become an Independent caucusing with the Democratic Party, little factose-intolerant fella?

Look it up. Learn something. Bring your imaginary friends.

Always a pleasure.
 

Anonymous....

"If I had meant to refer to the first "buy" I would have used it the way you did (buyin'), putz!

Sure ya would, schmuck. Sure ya would.

Once again, given the fact that your ignorant anonymous ass has managed to misspell the words misspelling and misperception recently in the midst of your factually-challenged, flights of fascist fancy, little fella, that's highly doubtful.

That dumber than dirt thing ain't doin' ya any favors, either.

Once again, little fella. When I say you frequently can't spell what you can't substantiate as you constantly give me occasion to do, it means that - in addition to being factually-challenged and fundamentally-dishonest - you're stupid and ya can't spell.

It's like sayin' that in addition to everything else, Himmler was a lousy tipper.

Oy Gevalt! What a putz.

Always a pleasure.
 

Is NCLB a Federal Mandate? Is it fully-funded?

Those two questions do not prove your assertion that NCLB has been a burden. (Nor is federal mandate a proper noun.) It's all a matter of degrees and relativity. I maintain that Goals 2000 has been more of a burden and more underfunded.

I'm not going to give you my credentials. I'm not going to give you my sources. Because who are you? You've certainly given neither credentials nor sources. And you're the one boldly asserting the NEA talking points. You've offered nothing to back them up. No statistics. No examples. No authorities.

Just a question about whether NCLB is fully funded.

Rrior to NCLB, we had no idea how special needs students and economically disadvantaged students were doing at all, because the data was not disaggregated. Now we know how they're doing. And both groups are improving. And they're improving relative to the other children. I know I care more about those kids than you do, pal. Just give me one credential you have that illustrates otherwise. But you go ahead and keep calling me a basher.
 

Anonymous....

Is NCLB a Federal Mandate? Is it fully-funded?

"Those two questions do not prove your assertion that NCLB has been a burden."

It doesn't, eh?

Well, little factually-challenged fella, if it's a Federal mandate and it's not fully-funded, that means the State of Vermont has gotta pick up the tab. That means it gets passed on to me and the rest of the taxpayers of Vermont and adds it to our tax burden.

That, by definition, makes it a burden as it leaves you with bupkis.

Let me know if I'm goin' too fast for ya.

"It's all a matter of degrees and relativity. I maintain that Goals 2000 has been more of a burden and more underfunded."

So you keep sayin' and not provin'.

So prove it already.

It's not my job to make your case for ya, little fella.

"I'm not going to give you my credentials. I'm not going to give you my sources. Because who are you?"

Ah, so ya wanna know who I am, eh?

Ya know the nameless-nitwit fella who's been spewin' specious gop-slop nonsense he can't substantiate while shillin' for shrub and claimin' he's an anonymous teacher with a master's degree but won't tell ya what he teaches or what his masters is in?

I'm the other guy.

"You've certainly given neither credentials nor sources. And you're the one boldly asserting the NEA talking points."

And you're the one anonymously asserting the anti-NEA talking points with no visible means of support, schmuck.

I like my cards better than yours.

"You've offered nothing to back them up. No statistics. No examples. No authorities."

Just the NEA and reality, little fella.

You, on the other hand, are citing anti-NEA, teacher-bashing trash with nothing to back it up but your anonymous claims and imaginary credentials.

I call.

"Just a question about whether NCLB is fully funded."

Yeah, the one you can't or won't answer.

"Rrior to NCLB, we had no idea how special needs students and economically disadvantaged students were doing at all, because the data was not disaggregated. Now we know how they're doing. And both groups are improving. And they're improving relative to the other children."

So, "Rrior" to NCLB we didn't know any of that stuff, eh?

I'm not familiar with the term, "Rrior", little fella.

You're gonna have to 'splain that to me, Lucy.

Then ya can disaggregate your delusional dreck and see if ya can find someone who's willin' to buy that gop-slop pig in a poke, 'cause you're not havin' any luck here, little fella.

"I know I care more about those kids than you do, pal."

Ya do, eh? And the fact that ya wanna short change 'em and "educate" 'em on the cheap should convince me of that just how, little fella?

"Just give me one credential you have that illustrates otherwise."

Ah, so you want to stack your anonymous imaginary credentials against me, eh, little fella?

I'll remind you, I'm not the one who's been makin' claims he can't substantiate, little fella.

I'm the other guy.

"But you go ahead and keep calling me a basher."

Fine, if it makes ya feel better I will, but you're doin' a fine job of provin' that without my help, little fella. I just give ya the occasional prod or push in the right direction, but you race towards the edge of the cliff and do that nameless-nitwit, lunatic-fringe lemming thing on your own power, little fella.

Keep up the good work. That's entertainment.

Always a pleasure.
 

"Just a question about whether NCLB is fully funded."

"Yeah, the one you can't or won't answer."

Because there is no answer. Nobody knows what fully funded means. It's an arbitrary number. I know this is perhaps too abstract a concept, but try to wrap your little pea brain around it.

You try to answer it. What is the figure that fully funds it? Try it. Then pinch yourself back to reality, because there's no way of knowing how many schools next year will be out of compliance and how much money it will take to get them back into compliance.

If you can go around saying NCLB is not fully funded, I can say the same for Clinton's Goals 2000, which you've probably never heard of in your little world where all you've ever achieved is getting everyone to hate you on a blog.

I cited major benefits of NCLB. Now you do the same for Goals 2000. Wiki it, like you have to do with everything else.

Calling someone who wants to see accountability in education a teacher basher? Well that's a lot like Sarah Palin saying Obama "pals around with terrorists." A little over the top, don't you think? Why would I bash teachers when I know fully well that like every other profession, there are good ones and not-so-good ones?

Lunatic fringe? I guess the 43 Democrats in the Senate and 198 Democrats in the House who voted for NCLB were all lunatic fringe, right? I guess Obama, who is seriously considering reauthorizing it, is lunatic fringe. Keep digging a hole. It is indeed entertaining.

Unfortunately, though, you've contributed nothing to enlightening the readers here on the topic of education. Not a single fact, not a single example, not a single figure. You know absolutely nothing about education, except that you can parrot back "unfunded mandate."

Come up with something and we'll talk.
 

Hey, jw, is this the best you could do in 24 hours? You're losing your touch there, pally:

little fella
you're just some nameless nitwit spewin' psychotic slop
Nice try, nitwit
You're an anonymous shrub shill spewing vague, unsubstantiated slop
load of gop-slop nonsense
No sale, schmuck
You're ignorant anonymous trash with bupkis
little factose-intolerant fella
gop-slop spewin', nameless-nitwit likes of you
little factually-challenged fella
Gop scum
little fella
nitwit
gop-slime
Dismissed
little factose-intolerant fella
little factually-challenged fella,
bupkis
little fella
the nameless-nitwit fella
spewin' specious gop-slop nonsense
schmuck
little fella
teacher-bashing trash
little fella
your delusional dreck
gop-slop
little fella
little fella
little fella
little fella
little fella
nameless-nitwit
lunatic-fringe
little fella