Rapid response, radical reform: The story of school finance litigation in Vermont

Journal of Law and Education, Apr 2002 by Rebell, Michael A, Metzler, Jeffrey

There were, of course, extensive legislative hearings, meetings with interest groups and advocacy organizations, and educational forums throughout the years that the legislature was wrestling with this problem. These forums served to educate people about the inequities of the finance system at that time.136 But there was no extensive public deliberation about solutions.

VI. CONCLUSION

The rapidity of the remedial response in Vermont was a two-sided sword: it resulted in what has been the most prompt and arguably the most equitable remedy to a court's fiscal equity decision-but it also engendered one of the most intense, confrontational oppositional stances. However, the final chapter on the implementation of Act 60 has not yet been written. The law still may prove durable and effective. Or Vermont's strong tradition of direct democracy may yet bring together the warring sides in new legislative compromises or public engagement deliberations that may achieve greater consensus on a modified approach. Clearly, the ongoing saga of fiscal equity reform in the state of Vermont bears watching.

MICHAEL A. REBELL AND JEFFREY METZLER1

1. Michael A. Rebell is the Executive Director and Counsel of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc. in New York City. He also is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia University. Jeffrey Metzler is a thirdyear student at the Yale Law School.