Agency of Education presents proposed funding formula; lawmakers press for school-by-school transition details

The Vermont Agency of Education presented a proposed education funding formula at a joint hearing of the House Ways and Means and House Education committees on Jan. 31, 2025, saying the plan is intended to fund a broader “education transformation” that pairs funding changes with governance and education‑quality reforms.

"We have produced the report that we'll walk through today that explains, in detail the funding formula that is being proposed," said Zoe Saunders, secretary of education, at the start of the hearing.

The proposal sets a statewide foundation base, adds student‑characteristic weights and scale adjustments, maintains several categorical payments, and anticipates the creation of five large districts. Agency and consultant presenters said the model is intended to be more transparent and to deliver comparable resources to students with the same needs regardless of where they live.

Justin Silverstein, a consultant with APA, summarized the plan’s structure: "In everything in green is that the proposed foundation funding. So a base amount ... weights for economically disadvantaged, EL students, CTE students ... and then adjustments for district sparsity and size." He added that the formula is tied to a governance vision that would include five districts and new central offices.

Nut graf: Why this matters

Agency presenters said the formula would reallocate how the state funds K‑12 education, folding some programs into a larger foundation, increasing some targeted funding (for example for English learners and CTE), and keeping specific categoricals (notably special education and transportation) at higher funding levels. Committee members repeatedly pressed officials for concrete, school‑level comparisons, transition timelines and implementation details.

What’s in the proposal

- Base and weights: The consultants described a per‑pupil foundation base and a set of weights. The presenters referred to a base amount in the report and the modeling that produces per‑pupil totals when weights are added. The team used an evidence‑based model as the starting point and then adjusted it for Vermont priorities.

- Key weights and adjustments: The proposal models an economically disadvantaged weight of about 0.75 and an English‑learner weight of about 1.5.…