Lawmakers, Agency of Education walk through governor's proposal to remake Vermont school system

Secretary of Education Mike Saunders and Agency of Education staff on Feb. 23 walked House and Senate education committees through draft legislative language for the governor's education transformation proposal, explaining structural changes to governance, finance, school choice and district operations and answering lawmakers' procedural and policy questions.

The bill would replace Vermont's existing supervisory-union structure with five unified union school districts, establish a new foundation funding formula with a cited base amount of $13,200 per student in fiscal year 2025, move many duties from the State Board of Education to the secretary of education and create new rules for so-called "school choice schools," among other changes.

Why it matters: supporters say the proposal is intended to address long-term enrollment and performance declines, reduce administrative cost and equalize opportunity across the state. Opponents and several legislators questioned the timeline, local impacts on small and remote communities, the treatment of independent schools and the mechanics of transferring debt, employees and contracts into the new districts.

State officials told lawmakers the package is designed as a comprehensive, multi-year transition rather than a quick fix. "We can't just make small leaps, we must redesign our system," Saunders said while describing the plan's goals to improve equity, student supports and long-term affordability. He said Vermont has seen "over 20%" enrollment decline over the past 20 years and that achievement measures and other indicators are moving in the wrong direction.

Agency counsel Emily Simmons, who guided the committees through the draft, summarized the bill's core elements: five statewide school districts governed by elected boards and a funding model that pairs a base amount with additional weights for student need, district sparsity and school scale. "We have the statement of the bill,…