[motherandchild]

Last month Forbes magazine listed the most highly taxed states and Vermont was #1 at 14% of a person's income. Alaska was at the bottom, they only tax 4% of a person's income. That's a vast difference.[/quote]


I've looked all over the internet for this article... Is there a way to find it?

[flu189]

Originally Posted by motherandchild

Last month Forbes magazine listed the most highly taxed states and Vermont was #1 at 14% of a person's income. Alaska was at the bottom, they only tax 4% of a person's income. That's a vast difference.

I've looked all over the internet for this article... Is there a way to find it?[/quote]

Go to taxfoundation.org and I believe you can link to it.

[flu189]

I came across an interesting article tonight with a reasonable explanation as to why so many budgets were rubber stamped this go around. As most folks here know the lions share of our taxes and expenditures go to fund K-12, but a great amount of the generous voters benefit from the prebate income sensitive formula, hence the consensus is that by keeping the funding rates climbing will not proportionally raise the pain index on the individual taxpayer who benefits from said prebate. However, the money does have to come from somewhere which should cause prospective taxpayers in brackets outside of prebate insulation to take notice.

[sukiecw]

We don't face very high property taxes in this part of Queens, NY, eventhough the houses are more expensive then affluent LI. That's why so many Queens people refuse to move to LI.

But I'm one of those people that believe in paying taxes eventhough it hurts.

How do you think I feel every year, we pay over 30,000 in income taxes and we have no house or savings to show for such a huge salary. While my friend who owns a business, owns 3 properties, and can send all 4 kids to private school claims they only make 30,000 a year. It really disgusts me.

Anyway, as long as my kids are getting their education, the streets are clean, the crime is low, and I have all those lovely mountains and meadows, I don't mind the taxes.

I eventually plan on working from home too in IT and trying to work for a company that's more global, so the salary isn't set to a VT scale.

[sukiecw]

By the way GypsySoul22,

I just checked with Vt Ed licensure, my husband and I would both qualify for initial licensure. And the average salary in VT, is about 45,000 for a Master's degree. It's about 50,000 in Brattleboro which is where I'd like to be.

I only make 60,000 in NYC with a Master's and 36 credits above a master's or almost a P.H.D. But nice benefits, so we'll see. At least we can always spend our summers in VT.

[sukiecw]

As a special ed teacher, I know VT is going through some tough obstacles trying to service it's Special Education population.

It's going to be a very hot button over the next few years. As liberal as VT seems, every state has pretty much been adverse to spending on Special Education, but federal regulations are tough. Special Education is twice as expensive as general education.

But basically, education costs are going to even more expensive for VT as it has for most every state.

Unfortunately that's bad news for people who have nothing to do with education, but it makes VT even more affordable for me because this is exactly when special educators are in demand and pay raises go up.

Sorry.

[GypsySoul22]

I hope you find what you want! That would be good money here.
We always can use good special ed. teachers, too.

[flu189]

For those in the field of education, especially special ed providers, how much longer do you realistically expect to be able to increase staffing and funding in light of diminishing enrollments and economic stress on the part of the source of the funding. Not trying to be a gloomy naysayer, but really would want to know from folks in the field what information they have regarding the potential sustainability of keeping up the current trends.

[MTK1]

Vermont has one of the lowest starting teacher salaries in the nation and is ranked 46 according to this report by the American Federation of Teachers.

http://www.aft.org/presscenter/relea...ySurvey-VT.pdf

Keep in mind that VT is currently the 10th most expensive state in the U.S. to live. My neighbor is a recent UVM graduate and is teaching at an elementary school in the Burlington area. She started out at 25k a year and has to wait tables at night just to get by. Burlington also has the highest wages in the state. I understand you are not a teacher just out of college but even with your experience you will probably do better off in another state.

I moved here from CT 4 years ago and I am moving back in 2 months. Visiting VT when I lived in CT was a much different experience than actually living here. Living here has been nothing but a struggle as the wages paid here are nothing but insulting. Maybe you should look into CT as according to the above report CT has the highest teacher salaries in the U.S.

Flu you are right on about the budgets here. I noticed everything passed in Burlington including spending millions on the Moran plant but what is being done about Burlington's aging and failing infrastructure. The roads are in horrible shape, the water/sewer lines are 100 years old, the city has some major issues facing it.

[pucabear]

I taught in Vermont (General Ed. and Special Ed.). Prior to that I taught in Florida, and am currently teaching in Tennessee. Vermont is the most wasteful of all. It is amazing to me that all of these people in Vermont are so "environmentally and conservation focused", but the schools are not. I was shocked when I arrived to teach and found that no child brought supplies to school, they were "free" from the school in an unlimited supply. Are you kidding me? My pay was less in Vermont than the other states. I also was involved in a program to help pregnant teenage girls get their high school educations. I had to leave when I realized I would also be teaching them how to receive and manipulate the welfare system. I found that it really pays to not work or be young and pregnant in Vermont. Hmmmm, wonder why we left?