Vermont State Board of Education asks House committee for funds for counsel, stipends and rule modernization

The Vermont State Board of Education asked the House Education Committee on Feb. 14 for additional funding to secure legal counsel for the remainder of fiscal year 2025, raise board member stipends, rejoin the National Association of State Boards of Education and fund a two‑phase project to modernize the board’s rules.

The request, presented by Jennifer Deck Samuelson, chair of the Vermont State Board of Education, and Tammy Colby, vice chair, came in three parts: $18,000 to cover immediate legal counsel needs in FY25; a FY26 budget to cover increased stipends, ongoing independent counsel and re‑establishment of the board’s National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) membership; and a one‑time appropriation to support a two‑phase rule modernization process.

“We’re looking at $18,000 to get us through this fiscal year, and then we’d like to roll that in going forward,” said Jennifer Deck Samuelson, Chair, Vermont State Board of Education. She told committee members the board previously relied on legal counsel provided through the Agency of Education but no longer receives that…