House Education Committee debates strike‑all amendment to H.454; straw polls favor class‑size 18 and removing articles‑of‑agreement

The House Education Committee continued consideration of a strike‑all amendment to H.454 on March 27, 2025, debating class‑size minimums, whether to sunsetting articles of agreement, how making all districts operating K‑12 would affect tuition to independent schools, and proposed changes to State Board of Education appointments.

Committee Chair Conlon opened the session by saying the committee would continue work on the strike‑all amendment and setting a goal to finish by 7 p.m. The committee discussed several interrelated provisions that members said will shape how Vermont schools operate in the coming years.

Why it matters: Committee members said the provisions determine classroom conditions, the governance of future districts, and whether taxpayer dollars could be used to tuition students to independent schools once districts are designated operating K‑12 — a change that could materially affect small and rural schools.

Class size minimums

Committee members debated several numeric proposals for class‑size minimums. A committee member identified in the transcript as Kate said, “I'm still not comfortable moving away from the 12, 15, 18 numbers… I would really support the 18 number more than the 20 number.” Other members described classroom space, workload for teachers, and the needs of students with Individualized Education Programs as reasons to keep lower minimums. Representative Reginald Wong said he lives in a “very rural part of the state” and supported the earlier 18‑student figure for high schools, calling changes “not a deal breaker.”

To measure support, Chair Conlon led a straw poll on a…