Shumlin's Controversial Budget Plans Cuts Prison Education

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently proposed cuts in the prison education system that total $1.7 million. These cuts affect the budget of the Community High School of Vermont, an institution that provides high school courses to people in the Vermont prison system.

The Community High School of Vermont does more than provide education to inmates. It also provides job training which is invaluable for inmates who may otherwise struggle to find jobs when released. Enhancing employment opportunities for inmates is crucial because studies have shown that finding and maintaining employment can reduce former prisoners’ chances of returning to prison.

The program stands now at 17 prison and parole campuses throughout Vermont, but cuts will mean that this number will be diminished to only four prisons in the state.

The number of awarded diplomas has been decreasing over time. In 2007, 148 diplomas were awarded but in 2014, only 41 diplomas were issued by the Community High School of Vermont.

Advocates for the Community High School of Vermont claim that the decreasing numbers of graduates are not a cause for cutting parts of the program. People who support the program point out that students involved earn more than just diplomas.

Sarah Flynn, a member of the school’s advisory board, told the Burlington Free Press, “The school also provides remedial services for inmates who’ve graduated in the public school system but have startling academic lacks and deficiencies.”

The number of diplomas has dropped, but so has the number of inmates under 23 years old, the oldest age the department is required to provide education for inmates.

Through Community High School of Vermont, students can also learn trade certificates and receive specialized job training.

Governor Shumlin points to the decreasing number of students earning diplomas from the program as a sign that it is becoming more and more ineffective.  In an email statement from the governor’s office to VT Digger, the office wrote: “The numbers speak for themselves. […] That is clearly not an efficient use of state resources.” They go on to say that the budget year is “tough” and suggest that they are open to other ideas that will put aside the same amount of money.

For Community High School of Vermont, what these cuts will ultimately mean is the reduction of 25 staff positions. Currently, the High School has over 100 employees including full-time employees, teachers, and office staff.

Additionally, the School will provide services at a reduced number of locations. Prisons in South Burlington, Newport, St. Albans and Springfield will continue to offer the education program while services will stop in correctional centers in Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Windsor and all community field sites.

The cuts of the Community High School’s budget come from a portion of Shumlin’s proposal to address more opportunities for government efficiency. The $1.7 million prison education cut is part of more than $15 million in cuts proposed by Shumlin.

Proponents of the Community High School of Vermont warned the Burlington Free Press that these cuts would “essentially destroy the school as we know it.”  They distinguish the Community High School of Vermont from other prison education programs, criticizing the other programs for a “‘who cares, throw a workbook at them’ approach.”

Along with other cuts, Shumlin requested savings of $9 million in personnel costs and the reduction of funding for 11 state employee positions.

In his speech, Shumlin said, “All of these cuts, and others detailed in the budget, have been proposed because I believe we can offer them while still providing core state services. But let me be clear – they are real; I know each matters deeply; and they are tough.”