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Senate orders third reading of S 304 to change CTE governance and expand student exposure
Summary
Senate ordered third reading of S 304, a bill to expand career and technical education exposure for grades 6–10, transfer rulemaking authority from the State Board of Education to the Agency of Education, and require milestone reports and program alignment; senators pressed for clarity on 'fully participate' language and transparency in rulemaking.
The Senate ordered a third reading of S 304, legislation that would alter governance and expand access for Vermont's career and technical education (CTE) programs.
On the floor, the senator reporting the bill (Senator from Rutland) described the bill's core goals: earlier exposure for middle‑school students, greater opportunities for 9th and 10th graders to participate in pre‑technical programs, transfer of rulemaking authority from the State Board of Education to the Agency of Education, periodic evaluation of CTEs and a model career development policy to be issued statewide. The reporter said the bill would require the secretary of education to issue a model policy by Dec. 1, 2024, and require school boards to adopt or adapt that policy by June 30, 2025.
Why it matters: supporters argued the bill addresses labor shortages, improves alignment with postsecondary programs and standardizes student access across districts. "The AOE secretary will be given overall responsibility of CTEs," the reporter said, describing transfers of operational and rulemaking authority. Committees of education, finance and appropriations reviewed the bill; appropriations removed a funded FTE coordinator position in its amendment calendar to compare priorities across the budget.
Discussion on the floor focused on two recurring issues: what "fully participate" means for 9th and 10th graders and the transparency of rulemaking after shifting authority to the Agency of Education. Senators asked whether the move preserves open‑meeting and public participation requirements; the reporter said both the state board and agency are subject to open‑meeting laws to his knowledge but offered to refine language if needed.
Next steps: the Senate ordered third reading of S 304; specific amendments or final passage were not recorded in the provided transcript. Committees and the Agency of Education were asked to clarify language around participation and confirm procedural transparency for any transferred rulemaking authority.
