Vermont education officials report rapid growth in Act 78 after‑school grants, plan expanded oversight and longer awards

The Vermont Agency of Education reported to the House Education Committee on April 29, 2025, that the state’s Act 78 after‑school grant program—funded by cannabis sales tax revenue—is expanding rapidly and will receive added oversight after two rounds of competitive awards.

"We had about 60 applications come in," said Jirvan Sench, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program Manager at the Agency of Education, summarizing the first competition and the scale of interest. He told lawmakers the initial round produced 16 awards (to 16 unique entities) totaling about $3.7 million for three‑year grants, and reached sites in 11 of Vermont’s 14 counties.

The program began as a smaller, pilot competition in fiscal year 2024 and was designed to complement existing federal‑state 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21c) programming. Sench said the agency drew on three sources in designing the grants: the Act 78 authorizing language, the state’s 21c program, and the governor’s 2021 interagency after‑school task force report.

Why it matters: Committee members and grantees said the funding is enabling new or expanded programs—internships, teen centers, STEM kits and other offerings—not typically available during the school day. Officials also warned that the revenue source has fluctuated and that growth creates new administrative and monitoring needs for the Agency of Education (AOE).

Program growth and design changes

Sench said the first round served roughly 4,000 young Vermonters; the second round added 26 awards to 21 unique entities and committed about $13 million in three‑ and five‑year awards, plus roughly $1.7 million to adjust first‑cohort awards to the new terms. He said the two rounds together represent new or expanded services for about 11,000 Vermonters.

To respond to demand, the AOE made several structural changes after round one: it split the single application stream into two competitions to better fit small and large providers; adjusted award caps; shifted some funding tracks to begin earlier in the year so summer programs could hire staff before students leave school; and lengthened center‑track awards from three to five years to align with the 21c model.

"That was the model that we have, is 21c, and we wanted to kind of align as much as possible our different funding opportunities," Sench said.

Funding volatility and planning approach

Committee members asked about revenue from cannabis sales that funds Act 78. Sench said the revenue has varied: "In the first year, we had $5,000,000 of revenue raised," he said, then added that when planning for the second year the state ultimately received about $14,000,000. To avoid over‑committing, the AOE said it is prudently reserving multi‑year commitments by dividing available funds across the five‑year award period for each cohort.

Staffing, monitoring and technical assistance

Sench described steps the AOE has taken to increase capacity: initially hiring two additional staff (one for monitoring and oversight, one for data analysis) and obtaining executive approval to add two more classified AOE positions focused on regulatory compliance for community‑based organizations and additional monitoring for new grant components. The committee was told those positions are funded from a $500,000 carve‑out in Act 78 specifically for AOE capacity building.

"One [position] is gonna be supporting regulatory compliance for community‑based organizations," Sench said, noting the agency had to translate school‑centric systems for non‑school providers.

The AOE also plans a statewide technical assistance component to help develop providers in after‑school “deserts,” expand a community of practice, and offer professional development for after‑school directors.

Grantee perspectives from the field

Bethann Miller, an after‑school director who identified herself as a grantee, described an internship program that placed 10 student interns with community partners and paid participants through the district payroll. "We had 40 students apply for 10 positions," Miller said, and said the program included a team leadership liaison who mentors student leaders year‑round.

Alyssa Hunt, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro, said Act 78 funding allowed her organization to hire full‑time staff and expand teen center services in Windham County. "In the last 60 days, we've had 30 new members join our club," Hunt said, and she described increased daily attendance, new staff hires who are recent refugees, and partnerships for postsecondary readiness and hands‑on career camps.

Coordination with 21c and nonprofit partners

Emmanuel Betts, who manages the state’s 21c program, and representatives of Vermont After School described a long‑standing partnership model. "The 21c program ... is totally rooted in partnerships," Betts said, describing a contract for technical assistance, coaching and leadership development that supports 21c implementation.

Sench said the AOE allowed dual applications with 21c and tried an approach this year to fund at least one program that had submitted a strong 21c application but did not receive federal funds solely because of limited federal allocations.

Implementation risks and community needs

Committee members pressed grantees about staffing, transportation and food services—persistent implementation challenges. Hunt described acute housing and staffing shortages in Brattleboro, even while demand grows: "I cannot find qualified staff. I cannot keep qualified staff," she said, noting her program offers wages, paid holidays, PTO and health insurance but still struggles to recruit and retain employees.

Miller said transportation remains a barrier for some families; her district provides late buses during the school year but not for summer programs this year.

Next steps and outlook

AOE officials said they will continue to refine application streams, expand outreach to counties not yet served, add technical assistance and monitor providers more intensively as the program scales. Sench told the committee the agency expects to continue adding cohorts annually until the program reaches a steady carrying capacity of roughly 100 funded programs.

"Every year as we run this competition, we are adding additional capacity," Sench said. "So we are building up to eventually ... level funding at around a hundred programs."