Agency of Education outlines backlog, special‑education expectations for independent schools

The Vermont Agency of Education told the House Education Committee on May 1 that it received renewal applications from independent schools by the April 1 deadline and is working to clear a backlog created by pandemic pauses, litigation and rule changes enacted in 2023.

The backlog affects independent schools seeking approval to receive public tuition dollars, including both general‑education and therapeutic programs, and has delayed the agency's reporting and recommendations to the State Board of Education, Agency of Education interim director Laurie Dolezal said.

Dolezal (director of school improvement and interim director of Education Quality, Agency of Education) outlined the agency's approval and renewal protocol, saying the process includes an application desk review, site visits where required, internal vetting (including special‑education review), a period for the school to respond, and then a recommendation that goes to the State Board of Education subcommittee for final approval. "All of the applications were received by the April 1 deadline," Dolezal said, adding that reviews are currently underway.

The agency is prioritizing work by expiration date and by the intensity or risk category of the review, Dolezal said. She described a tentative timeline in the agency's materials: an…