Senate Education hears that existing law allows out‑of‑region CTE enrollment but transportation, tuition differences and funding gaps block access

For the record, I'm Zoe Saunders, secretary of education, and I'm with Jerky. I'm the state director of career technical education," said Zoe Saunders, Secretary of Education, as she opened an agency presentation to the Senate Education Committee on a proposed amendment to H.480 aimed at expanding access to career and technical education (CTE). "We understand that the goal of this amendment is to expand access to career and technical education, and we don't think that the amendment is necessary given the existing statute," Saunders told senators.

The agency and CTE directors told the committee why students who are wait‑listed at one center can already apply to programs at other centers but often face practical barriers — notably transportation and substantial differences in per‑student tuition. The discussion gave senators technical staff, CTE superintendents and local directors an opportunity to surface short‑term fixes the Agency of Education (AOE) can pursue and the longer‑term funding and governance reforms the agency has recommended.

Why it matters: CTE programs prepare students for immediate jobs and local workforce needs. Committee members framed the amendment as an attempt to remove immediate barriers for students who are eligible for CTE but cannot access seats in their home region when programs are full. Agency staff and multiple CTE directors warned that a narrowly drawn change could produce unintended budget or equity impacts unless short‑term language is paired with broader funding and governance reform.

Key points and supporting details

- What statute and rules say now: Ruth, Agency of Education staff, told the committee that the statute and State Board rules already permit students in grades 11 and 12 to enroll at a CTE center outside their designated service region if the sending district pays the receiving center's published tuition. Ruth cited "16 BSA 15 41 a" (as discussed in testimony) and State Board of Education rule "23 74.3 a," noting that transportation is not automatically required of the sending district for out‑of‑region enrollment; transportation assistance is currently reimbursable to a district or center under statute (transcript reference to "1563").

- Transportation: Multiple CTE directors and AOE staff said transportation is the principal equity barrier. Dr. Nicole McTavish, superintendent and director of the Hannaford Career Center, told senators her center could provide vans or short buses for some out‑of‑region students and that increased enrollment could reduce her center’s per‑student tuition because fixed costs would be spread over more students. Jody Emerson, superintendent and director at the Central Vermont Career Center, described arrangements in which Randolph Technical Career Center has agreed to provide transportation and that Randolph's enrollment rose substantially as a result.

- Tuition differences and the 6‑semester rolling average: Witnesses described large per‑student tuition disparities among centers. Committee discussion cited example figures from testimony (Stafford ~ $21,300 per student; Hannaford ~ $31,900 per student) and referenced a 6‑semester rolling average that districts and centers use to budget CTE tuition. Ruth and several directors said the rolling average was intended to stabilize budgets but can delay or blunt the budgetary effect of rapid enrollment changes; the agency’s reports with APA Consulting recommend a different, more transparent funding approach.

- Local budgeting and governance complexity: Directors explained that most CTE budgets are locally derived and include fixed costs (staff salary and benefits, bond debt and operations). Dr. McTavish described staffing and capital costs as major budget drivers and said roughly 80% of a typical center budget goes to employee salaries and benefits, about 16% to bond debt, with the remainder for operations. Directors said communities that issued bonds or support modern facilities can have higher fixed costs and therefore higher tuition rates.

- Practical steps and technical assistance: The Agency of Education committed to provide technical assistance to CTE centers and sending districts to clarify existing options for students, craft consistent public language centers can post, and identify which centers can provide transportation. Saunders and AOE staff said the agency will convene director‑level discussions, share model communications and, where possible, facilitate local agreements. AOE staff also noted that the State Board intends to modernize CTE rules where permissible without new legislation.

Discussion versus formal action

- Discussion only: The committee did not adopt amendments or vote on statutory changes during the hearing. Senators debated whether new statutory language would improve clarity or simply restate existing law. Many witnesses and senators characterized the immediate problem as one of communication, local coordination and funding rather than of statutory prohibition.

- Direction/assignment: The Agency of Education agreed to provide technical assistance to (1) develop consistent messaging CTE centers can use to inform students and families of out‑of‑region enrollment options; (2) identify centers able to offer transportation and how reimbursement works; and (3) work with center directors on common application/admissions practices and FERPA‑compliant information‑sharing language.

- Formal action: None taken at this hearing. Senators signaled interest in further work with AOE, legal counsel and CTE directors and in possibly refining amendment language after AOE follow‑up.

Voices from the hearing

- Zoe Saunders, Secretary of Education, Agency of Education, summarized the agency’s view that statute and rules already provide much of the flexibility the amendment seeks and that broader funding and governance reform would better address systematic inequities.

- Ruth, Agency of Education staff, walked the committee through the statutory citations and State Board rules the agency interprets as allowing out‑of‑region enrollment and transportation reimbursement in some circumstances.

- Dr. Nicole McTavish, superintendent/director, Hannaford Career Center, described her center’s facilities and said the center could provide transportation for a limited number of out‑of‑region students and that higher enrollment would reduce per‑student tuition because fixed costs would be spread across more students.

- Jody Emerson, superintendent/director, Central Vermont Career Center, described recent local efforts (including Randolph Technical Career Center offering buses) that produced a substantive increase in out‑of‑region enrollments and urged better statewide communication and common admissions language.

Background and next steps

The agency and consultants have completed reports recommending funding and governance reform for Vermont CTE; officials said those reforms are targeted to a multi‑year transition and a future foundation formula. Committee members said they want short‑term fixes for students who face immediate barriers next school year and asked AOE to return suggested language, FERPA guidance and model communications for the committee and for local directors to use. Senators also requested written legal guidance on directory‑information sharing and the amendment’s effect, if any, beyond current statute.

Ending

Committee members agreed to follow up with AOE legal counsel and CTE directors, and to consider revised amendment language after AOE provides technical assistance and written clarifications. No vote was taken at the hearing.