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House orders third reading on education bill that moves uniform chart of accounts into statute
Summary
The House ordered third reading on H.874, which transfers the mandatory use of the uniform chart of accounts from session law into statute; members questioned how the retirement of eFinance and district-level costs would affect reporting and local tax burdens.
The Vermont House ordered third reading on H.874, a package of miscellaneous education-law changes that includes moving the mandatory use of the uniform chart of accounts into statute.
Floor questioning centered on section language about financial information for state and local decision makers, how local districts will access comparative data, and the operational status of the eFinance software. Members of the House asked how many supervisory unions had been required to adopt the eFinance system and how costs to districts will be assessed now that the state no longer requires a single software platform.
Committee reporters answered that the uniform chart of accounts remains in place and that the state stopped requiring a specific vendor software after a challenging rollout; some districts continue to use eFinance voluntarily with vendor support maintained for a transition period. One member said their supervisory union incurred about $40,000 in investment to comply with eFinance and asked how similar costs across the state will be quantified and whether that affects property tax pressures.
Reporters and floor members also discussed the community schools competitive grant program included in the bill, noting prior appropriations and that the current amendment preserves $1,000,000 in competitive grants in the education fund to continue pilots.
Next steps: third reading was ordered on the floor; the bill will proceed through the remaining legislative steps.
