House Education members back baseline increases, urge funding for teacher loan program

The House Education Committee on Feb. 25 reviewed a package of higher-education and workforce-related funding requests it will forward as input to the House Appropriations Committee. Members said they generally support baseline increases already reflected in the governor’s recommendation and urged finding money for the Vermont Teacher Forgivable Loan program, which committee members said is out of funds.

Committee members said they were generally comfortable with a roughly 3 percent increase that appears in the governor’s recommendation for several entities, and with similarly modest increases for the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Vermont State College system. Members described those baseline increases as “in line with the governor’s recommendation” and not controversial.

The committee urged strong support for the Vermont Teacher Forgivable Loan program, telling staff to include backing for additional funding in a letter to appropriations. Members said demand and need are high and noted recent testimony from higher-education partners about program connections and placement; one committee member said the program has helped connect teachers with institutions including St. Michael’s College and UVM. A member also reported an unusual local report that no students enrolled in education programs at Keene State College this year, which members cited as further reason to support teacher recruitment tools.

Several one‑time requests drew more guarded responses. Members said they would defer decisions on a proposed tech hub and a Vermont Cancer Center research proposal to committees with closer jurisdiction (commerce and health respectively) and would describe those items as “generally supportive” but appropriately evaluated by the committees of primary jurisdiction. A proposed $4 million education-transformation package drew skepticism from members who said they feared one-time consultant spending rather than sustained, in‑state capacity building.

The committee discussed other items including P‑TECH, Farm to School and the Governor’s Institute and recommended treating those that match the governor’s base recommendations similarly. Members said the Heart Association request for school cardiac emergency-response funding should be tied to the bill it accompanies, because the bill had not yet been produced.

Members will transmit the committee’s preferences and caveats to the House Appropriations Committee and expect further testimony on some items (including early-college funding and the $4 million transformation request) at upcoming hearings.