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Chair unveils nine‑district governance map, proposes limits on independent‑school tuition
Summary
The chair of the Vermont Senate Education Committee presented a draft map on Feb. 26, 2025, that would replace Vermont’s 52 supervisory units with nine large districts or supervisory units and would restrict independent schools’ access to tuition dollars outside specified subdistricts.
The chair of the Vermont Senate Education Committee presented a draft governance construct on Feb. 26, 2025, proposing nine large districts or supervisory units (SUs) to replace the present 52 supervisory units. The working map would preserve two interstate compacts, treat three regions as SUs with internal subdistricts to protect existing choice relationships, and consolidate school choice in areas where most students already attend public schools.
The chair said the construct’s nine units would average roughly 8,000 students each by enrollment and that six of the units follow the administration’s previously proposed district lines, while three would operate as SUs with subdistricts to maintain existing non‑operating towns and school‑choice arrangements. “What I want us to accomplish…is the governance framework in place,” the chair said, asking the committee to focus first on governance and then on statutory language.
The proposal includes a restriction on independent schools receiving state tuition dollars if they are not in the designated non‑operating subdistricts; the chair said that, under current measures, an independent school must reach a threshold—about 25% of enrollment coming from tuition dollars in the 2023–24 school year—to meet eligibility in some cases. The plan would also consolidate choice on island districts and preserve interstate compact arrangements.
Committee members raised several concerns: transportation and travel time for students; how special education and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs would be supported across larger districts; the role of the State Board of Education versus the Agency of Education (AOE); risks to local control and community identity; and the legislative timeline, including looming “crossover” deadlines. One senator urged the committee to buy time for local budget votes and cautioned against forcing changes before districts finalize their budgets.
The chair asked staff to schedule additional testimony, including from Secretary Saunders of the Agency of Education, and said the committee must gather “a ton of testimony” before finalizing boundaries and statutory language. Members signaled they preferred getting a governance framework agreed before finalizing the foundation‑funding work and related statutory transfers of authority.
No committee votes occurred during the meeting; the presentation was offered to spur next steps in hearings and written testimony.
