Vermont schools report major disruption, millions in local costs from statewide PCB testing program

Representative Conlon, chair of the House Education Committee, opened the Jan. 22, 2025, hearing with an update request on the state’s PCB testing and remediation program and its effects on districts across Vermont. “This program was created ... it’s a mandatory testing program for all schools in Vermont, and it is to test for the presence of airborne PCBs,” Conlon said.

The program, created in recent years with Department of Health action levels and a 2020 budget requirement that expanded testing, has already required some schools to relocate programs, undertake large mitigation projects and spend local funds up front while reimbursement and a long-term funding strategy remain unsettled. “We’ve now spent $416,000 from our local funds in order to test, and even just determine the scope at this point of the remediation efforts,” said Katie Sutton, interim superintendent for the Hartford School District.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that the testing program has produced significant operational disruption, raised health anxiety among staff and families, and created large, immediate budget strains for districts. School leaders urged clearer state direction on testing scope, reimbursement timing and a long-term facilities strategy so short-term mitigation spending does not become wasted if buildings are…