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Senate panel hears from Vermont independent schools on enrollment, services and tuition
Summary
Heads of two Vermont independent schools told the Senate Education Committee Feb. 11 that their schools serve small cohorts of students with learning differences or mental-health needs, rely primarily on tuition and a mix of placements, and provide wraparound supports while stopping short of calling themselves "therapeutic" under state law.
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Leaders of two Vermont independent schools told the state Senate Education Committee Feb. 11 that their small campuses serve students with learning differences and behavioral or mental-health needs, rely mainly on tuition revenue and mix parental and district placements rather than functioning as "therapeutic" schools under the statutory definition.
The committee heard from CJ Sporito, head of Rock Point School, and Sergio Simunovic, head of Greenwood School in Putney, as committee members and a representative of the Vermont Independent Schools Association probed enrollment, services and funding models.
The testimony matters because the legal label "therapeutic school" determines which placements and public tuition dollars may apply. "There’s a definition in statute and rules, and it really hinges upon whether the school exclusively serves students placed there on an IEP," said Oliver Olson, speaking on behalf of the Vermont Independent Schools Association.
Sporito said Rock Point School is an independent day and boarding high…
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