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DOC highlights CCV college program for incarcerated people and staff; lack of facility Wi‑Fi limits expansion
Summary
The Department of Corrections told the committee that its Community College of Vermont partnership provides tuition‑free courses to incarcerated people and staff, but lack of Wi‑Fi in facilities prevents broader expansion of remote and vocational programs.
The Department of Corrections told the Corrections & Institutions Committee that its Community College of Vermont (CCV) partnership provides tuition‑free classes to incarcerated students and DOC staff and that federal Pell and an initial $4.5 million federal earmark helped launch the program.
Commissioner Ivana said the program was designed to make education accessible both to people inside facilities and to staff, and that the department later added features allowing staff to transfer the education benefit to spouses or dependents and to let students continue coursework for up to a year after release. Ivana called the program a “flagship” and said retained benefits for staff were an intentional design element to address equity concerns.
The department said it has all of the program design and a broadband heat map and that it can implement facility Wi‑Fi for education and staff tablets if funding is approved. DOC reported it has prepared a plan that would cost about $3,500,000 to install Wi‑Fi across the system, but witnesses said a state broadband authority twice declined to accept the DOC application for federal broadband funds targeting rural and unserved populations.
Why it matters: DOC said broadband access would enable remote and asynchronous course delivery, reduce reliance on in‑person-only classes and expand vocational and reentry programming. Committee members urged renewed coordination with federal delegation and the state broadband authority to secure funds.
Ending: The committee signaled interest in a standalone hearing on facility Wi‑Fi and asked DOC to continue pursuing federal and state broadband funds and to provide cost and implementation details for education expansion.
