An unusual proposal to cover $131 million in school expenses through a tax on Steamship Authority tickets from Woods Hole to the Vineyard has been making the rounds before Island selectmen.

In a first, school bus drivers on the Vineyard have reached a tentative agreement on a contract that includes seniority benefits, a new payment system based on the number of runs and hours worked, and other provisions.

In John Merrow’s new book, Addicted to Reform: A 12-Step Program to Rescue Public Education, the author describes what he sees as a society hooked on school reform.