Monthly Archives: March 2025

WATCH: The House Education Committee 
Agreeing When to Cancel the Agreement

The video below is the Vermont House Education Committee in a meeting today (3/27/2025) in a discussion of when to cancel the agreement made with towns just a few years ago on the future of their schools. 

The video starts at the point where this topic begins. If you want to watch the entire meeting you can start the video at the beginning if you like. Recordings of this committee can be found at the following link House Education Live-stream and Recordings.

As of noon today. New language has been added at the last minute to draft bill H.454 (designed to severely overhaul Vermont's education system) and is under discussion at the time of this writing. 

This is a day of testimony in Montpelier by a number of grass-roots organizations about the sweeping education overhaul plan proposed by Governor Scott and his newly appointed and controversial Secretary of Education, Zoie Saunders (formerly of Florida). For more on Saunders. 

As it's currently understood, the new language would void the current "articles of agreement". Those agreements were developed a few years ago under the state's Act 46 school consolidation effort. 

The new language would give authority to school boards to close schools. That means the agreements reached a few years ago around 2018 or so) would be thrown out!

To give you a little bit of context, the proposed school system restructuring plan wants to have ONLY 5 school districts. There's a little debate on the exact number but it's far FEWER than we currently have. To put a fine point on it...

Your voice, your influence in the schools under this proposed new system would have FAR LESS IMPACT than you have right now. Your voice has already been watered-down due to the state's Act 46 consolidation of a few years ago. So this new plan would reduce your thoughts and input about the schools to...   what; essentially ZERO?

And with the new language put into the draft bill this morning, it's easy to get the idea that closing of schools (maybe lots of them) is high on the list for the folks who are driving this bill. 

Keep this in mind. Particularly for rural schools, towns, and villages (that's most of Vermont) -- where go the schools, so go the towns. In other words; If the schools close, the towns are going to struggle for their existence. Think about it. What conclusion do you come to?  

School Closure Section Added to Latest Version of House Ed Bill
Committee Discussing Now

A link to the bill will be provided here as soon as available.

ALSO, you can watch government in action and local grass-roots organizations by going to YouTube and watching the live-streams or the recordings of them from earlier today (or previous days).  Here's the link for the House Education Live-stream and Recordings. 

Don't you hate alarmist headlines? Agreed. But this isn't one of them. 

If you haven't noticed all the reporting about the governor's proposed plan to make incredibly sweeping changes to public education in all of Vermont - let's get you up to speed.

I'll provide you with a couple of sources so you can hear about this from different voices.

Barnard's own Carin Park (school board representative and Mountain Views School Board Director) last week published in the Barnard Listserv a very action oriented article. Click here for Carin's Article.

From that article, I think you'll understand there's a very real sense of urgency. Urgency; that's means the USS Vermont is taking on water. All Hands on Deck! (fyi, that statement is not about the submarine called the USS Vermont)

[Thinking out loud for a minute... If I didn't know better, I'd think the guv is taking a page from the Washington DC crowd and just blowing up the whole system and creating havoc. Huh, that would be bad! Kid's have to read, write, think, know some history, do a little math - right? Experimenting on kids' future is just wrong. I want to say, "for shame". But too late for that. Don't get angry - take action. - Ed.]

And here's the 2nd source...

This one is a video. It's kind of, "home-spun". If you get past that and just listen and understand what's being said, I'm sure you'll find some value there too.

Below is the video. If you want to jump to the part where he really picks up steam. Scroll along to 3 minutes 20 seconds. 

Hello Barnard,
In a follow up from town meeting day I thought it would be helpful to send along some further information related to education reform efforts here in Vermont, and what you can do to help support our local schools.

In February, the Mountain Views School District, and the Barnard Selectboard, voted to join Rural School Community Alliance (RSCA). I have sent some information over the past weeks regarding this Alliance. As of this week 51 boards from across Vermont , school boards, select boards and other entities like parent teachers groups have voted to join the alliance. An additional 24 boards have votes scheduled in March. That so many boards have stepped up so quickly is significant. It is an indication of the urgency and concern related to our community public schools and their future.

The work of the Alliance is to advocate in the statehouse in support of rural schools and local school boards. We feel schools and their boards are essential elements in a strong public education system. We feel public education will be diminished when school boards are eliminated and schools are closed.

We all care about affordability and know that change needs to happen. However, RSCA does not think closing thriving public schools and eradicating local control is the answer, and we detail other suggestions regarding moderating spending and adjusting the system as a whole to be more cost effective. We understand that unsustainable schools with severe declining enrollment may need to close but feel communities faced with such circumstances need support rather than to be abandoned.

RSCA has retained a lobbyist to help navigate the statehouse so our voices can be heard and our views can be represented in legislation being passed. This is a difficult task. For Barnard Academy and Woodstock MS/HS and other schools to survive we will need to thread a needle with a tiny hole and a fine thread. The targets being discussed in relation to the Governor's proposal, called “ efficiency thresholds,” are modelled after centralized elementary schools of 450 students, and high schools of 600+, and are governed by only 5 state-wide school district boards.

How can you help? RSCA is a grassroots organization built from scratch since January powered by many volunteers.

1. Check out the RSCA website: https://vtruralschools.org/ . On the website you can read more about the Alliance and the policy proposals we support. You can also join as an individual and get updates on what is going on. Additionally you can donate to support this work. While we are volunteers, the professional support of a lobbyist comes at a price. We are working to raise $40,000 to support this work. Any donation you make will be appreciated and put to good use. You can donate directly from the website or send a check by mail.

2. Make your voice heard: The legislature is asking Vermonters to complete a survey called "Your Voice on Vermont's Public Education Future," to help shape the policies and decisions they make in the State House. Complete the survey at this link, due Friday, March 14.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekaIn7kWtYfaQcY-3cOXzrhfn19A6LqeSfuw4oBElabPtVdQ/viewform

3. Write to legislators. Consider using the template pasted below and/or revise to reflect your views on education reform. The more we speak up about our values and priorities, the more they may be reflected in legislation.

Many thanks for your support of the school budget on town meeting day and for your support of our school in the future as a key ingredient to a thriving community.

Best,
Carin Park
Mountain Views School Board Director

LETTER TEMPLATE:
Dear

Governor Scott has presented a radical plan to reduce the costs of Vermont’s public schools. Components of the proposed plan will completely overhaul our public education system without due consideration for Vermont’s unique rural landscape and the role our schools play in our communities. Any reform must consider the adverse impacts on rural children, elementary schools and communities, and must ensure actual savings for taxpayers.

Our public schools are under terrific pressure. They have endured years of change and upheaval. Students are struggling and teachers are leaving the profession. Is now the time for unproven reforms and a major overhaul of our schools? We understand the need to address the rising cost of education while avoiding adverse impacts on our children and communities. And we must ensure actual savings for taxpayers.

I believe Vermont needs thoughtful, community-driven reforms that strengthen rather than dismantle our public education system. Instead of pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach, please come up with alternative solutions that support Vermont’s diverse educational landscape:
• Keep elementary school students close to home. Support elementary schools as community hubs that enhance both early learning and economic development.
•Encourage regional collaboration for secondary schools by streamlining upper grade education delivery, including tech schools, while maintaining flexibility for local needs. Regional conversations allow schools to complement each other in terms of offerings.
•Remove costs from the Education Fund that are the result of political rather than educational needs. Skyrocketing health care, student mental health services, and teacher pension costs should not be paid from the property tax.
•Support local school boards working in collaboration as supervisory unions.
•Act now to smooth funding cliffs in the property tax system.
•Vermont needs balanced, research-backed solutions that truly benefit Vermont students, families, taxpayers and communities. Closing community elementary schools and dismantling local governance is not the answer.

Thank you for considering these ideas

Sincerely