Education secretary asks Senate appropriations committee for $4 million transformation package; urges two-year pause on adult education competitive grants

Secretary of Education Zoe Saunders told the Vermont Senate Appropriations Committee on May 6 she is asking the Legislature to appropriate $4,000,000 to create a short‑term transformation team and pay for contracted services to support statewide implementation of recent education legislation. She also recommended pausing a pending competitive adult education grant process and instead amending existing grant agreements for two years while the State Board of Education completes rulemaking.

Saunders said the request is intended to “ramp up our capabilities very quickly” so the agency can support district and system changes tied to recently passed bills. The package would fund five new positions and contracted services to help with operational alignment, data integration, academic support and school‑board training, she told senators.

The secretary said the overall request is for $4,000,000. That sum would cover five positions she described as a division leader (to be an existing staff member in an expanded role) plus five new specialists, along with short‑term contracted services. Saunders told the committee the…