Vermont Governor Phil Scott and the state Education Secretary provided an update this week on the first phase of statewide education reform.
In June the Vermont Legislature passed Act 73, a measure that begins systemic education funding and administrative reform across the state.
Scott, a Republican, says the new bill is intended to make sure Vermont students have equal opportunity no matter what school they attend, while keeping costs affordable.
“This includes things like academic excellence, transitioning to a funding formula and consolidating into fewer districts to help equalize the tax base, which will which will increase educational opportunity and flexibility for all students.” Scott added, “Act 73 laid the foundation for us to make real progress. But it's just the start of what will be a three-year process.”
The state Agency of Education is charged with leading implementation of reforms. Education Secretary Zoie Saunders highlighted progress around special education, graduation requirements, data reporting and other elements required in the reform legislation.
“First, we are focused on strengthening special education services to identify unmet needs, analyze trends and build consensus on a path forward,” Saunders said. “Next, we are charged with recommending statewide graduation requirements. We've begun phase one of this work to shape the rubric we'll use to evaluate those graduation requirements. Lastly, the agency continues to provide data to the Redistricting Task Force where I'm told they are already evaluating a series of proposals for new district configurations.”
Saunders explained that the reforms may require further legislative approval.
“It really depends on the specific deliverable. Some are within existing statute and are really focused on how the agency can support implementation. Others will require us to work with the state board in a rulemaking capacity. And as we dive deeper into this, we may identify certain statutory changes that may be required and at that time we'll bring those forward,” noted Saunders.
Saunders said approving redistricting maps that will be presented by a task force at the start of the session will be a critical next step during the upcoming legislative session, which begins January 6, 2026.
