Agency of Education says it must run open adult-education grant competition as rural providers warn of steep cuts

The Vermont Agency of Education told the Senate Education Committee on April 3, 2025, that it is proceeding with an open, competitive grant process for the adult education and literacy program after the General Assembly changed the funding formula, and that awards are expected in May following a grant application window that closes April 25.

The change shifts distribution from a county-weighted formula to a calculation based on the two‑year average number of students served, a move the agency and some legislators described as an attempt to modernize and make funding more equitable. Providers that testified at the hearing said the shift will produce large losses in some rural counties and have urged a pause or additional legislative direction before awards are finalized.

The hearing matters because the program provides basic-skills and English-language instruction that state and federal officials treat as workforce development under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, Title II). Agency officials said they must follow statute and federal guidance; providers said the practical effect will be reduced capacity to serve rural residents and to sustain existing learning centers.

Agency of Education Secretary Zoe Sonder told the committee the agency is implementing a formula the General Assembly placed in law and that the department must balance continuity of services with compliance. "The Agency of Education's role is to implement what is in law," Sonder said. She and other agency officials…