Vermont Youth Council tells committee to expand school choice, preschool hours, mental‑health days and climate protections

The Vermont State Youth Council presented a broad set of recommendations to the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on April 24, urging lawmakers to expand school choice pilot programs, increase state‑funded preschool hours and school specialist staffing, create excused mental‑health days for students, and take a series of climate and housing steps they said would benefit young Vermonters.

The council — formed in 2022 and composed of 26 youth who work in five policy committees (youth voice, education, equity and anti‑racism, climate change and youth mental health) — delivered recommendations across education, mental health, climate policy and civic engagement and outlined changes to its own schedule to better align with the legislative biennium.

Why it matters: Council members said their proposals are intended to give young Vermonters a formal voice in policy-making and to address gaps in education and mental‑health services that they say affect peers across the state. The council also urged the General Assembly to act on several pending bills and policy items the youth view as priorities.

Education and workforce recommendations came from the council’s education committee. The group urged a pilot expansion of school choice to allow transfers between public and private schools that accept public funding, using a randomized lottery and limiting initial participation to 10–20 students per grade level for a two‑year pilot to evaluate impacts. The committee also asked the Legislature to increase state‑funded preschool from the current 10 hours per week to 25 hours per week and to fund incentives — such as loan forgiveness or relocation bonuses — to increase the number of specialist teachers and certified school personnel statewide.

On mental health, the youth mental health committee recommended creating excused mental‑health days for students, proposing three excused days per semester for middle‑ and high‑school students and a higher allowance for students who have a clinical diagnosis. The committee said such days should not be taken consecutively and should mirror sick‑day make‑up rules, while allowing students who do not have a safe home to use a school office for the day.

The youth council also urged the General Assembly to fund an inpatient eating‑disorder facility for teens aged roughly 11–17, saying there are currently no Vermont facilities that accept children under 15 and that existing programs have lengthy wait lists. The youth mental health chair noted either new construction or expanded capacity at an existing Burlington facility as potential steps should full construction be infeasible this biennium.

On climate, the council’s climate committee recommended measures including expanded composting infrastructure (with tax incentives and drop‑off maps), curriculum standards to include climate change in science instruction and legislation to conserve remaining old‑growth forest. Astrid Longstaff, climate committee chair, said, “Human‑induced climate change is a problem that affects all of us,” and urged state-level protections and education to prepare younger generations.

In proposals addressing civic engagement and policy, the council’s youth‑voice committee recommended the governor sign legislation removing the sunset date on Act 109 so the State Youth Council would continue beyond the current scheduled termination, and urged a resolution encouraging municipalities to consider extending local voting rights to 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds. The council also expressed support for Senate Bill 8 to expand eligibility for the Dr. Dynasaur program (the state’s child health coverage program) and stated a general position in favor of raising the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from 10 to 12 — while objecting to delays to implementation contained in an amended version of the bill.

Logistics and funding: Nicole Miller, executive director of Vermont After School, said Vermont After School provides logistical support for the council under a grant agreement with the Vermont Department of Health and that stipends and some mileage for in‑person events are currently supported through federal Title V funding administered by the Department of Health. Miller said council members receive a per‑meeting stipend for virtual meetings ($50 for a 90‑minute virtual meeting) and that in‑person meetings receive adjusted stipend amounts.

The council also proposed state housing policy ideas intended to keep young people in Vermont, including a state affordable‑housing fund and potential revenue sources such as an inheritance tax applied above a threshold or repurposing estate tax revenue. They made additional recommendations to require more use of local farm food in school meals and to teach the history and practice of town meeting day in schools.

Next steps: The council told the committee it will open its membership application earlier in the year and move from annual recommendations to a biennial schedule, using the second year of the biennium for advocacy and direct engagement with lawmakers. Aidan Otterman, chair of the youth voice committee, said the council intends to present recommendations at the start of the biennium and then spend the second year building relationships with legislators and providing testimony.

No formal committee action or vote was taken during the presentation.