Commission on the Future of Public Education raises concerns about administration’s foundation-formula proposal

Megan Boy, chair of the Commission on the Future of Public Education, summarized the commission’s Monday meeting for the House Education Committee on Feb. 19, saying members raised substantive concerns about the administration’s proposed transition to a foundation funding formula and its linked governance changes.

The commission told legislators that the administration’s model, as presented, would reduce statewide education funding by almost $200,000,000 and is built on assumptions about district consolidation that have not yet occurred. The commission recommended that any move to a foundation formula first answer how large the base funding amount should be, incorporate multiple methods to set that base and include a built-in inflator to protect future funding levels.

Why it matters: The commission was created by the legislature to advise on governance, funding and quality in Vermont public education. Its members said the administration developed and publicly rolled out its proposal largely outside the commission’s work, leaving commission members with slides after the plan was announced and little time to provide input. That, they said, has complicated the commission’s ability to do the thorough review the legislature intended.

At Monday’s meeting, nine commission members were present, Boy said:…