Zoe Fonder, Vermont's Secretary of Education, told the Redistricting Task Force that while the Agency of Education supports the goals of Act 73, the task force's recent proposal departs from the law's intent and raises serious funding and implementation questions. Fonder said the agency supplied extensive data and tools and stands ready to help draw maps, but asked the General Assembly to provide the clarity districts need to begin mergers and budgeting work.

Fonder framed Act 73 as comprehensive reform tying governance, funding and quality together and said the task force's proposal "does not propose new school district boundaries. It represents an entirely new policy path." She said that separation of governance from funding and quality risks losing the integrated approach the legislature intended.

Why it matters: Fonder argued the task force's cooperative/regional service model would preserve 119 school districts and 52 supervisory unions, adding layers of oversight and cost rather than reducing district numbers as Act 73 intends. She warned a decade-long voluntary merger period risks producing "winners and losers" under an unclear foundation formula and said this could raise legal concerns tied to the Brigham decision.

AOE role and resources: Fonder said the agency responded to more than 150 individual data requests, provided an interactive district-mapping tool produced by the Agency of Digital Services, and offered technical and legal help to the task force. "We have very much been an active partner," she said, and noted the agency's tax department and other modeling work produced sample budgets and cost estimates linked to proposed configurations.

Funding and teacher pay: Committee members raised concerns about the cost of "leveling up" salaries as districts merge. Fonder said the agency modeled regional salary adjustments and found substantial disparities, noting some rural teachers earn about $20,000 less than colleagues elsewhere. The agency can produce examples of statewide salary-schedule models for policymakers, she said, but emphasized collective bargaining remains outside the agency's purview.

Small-by-necessity and voluntary mergers: When asked who defines "small by necessity," Fonder said Act 73 charged the State Board of Education to recommend criteria; the General Assembly must approve those criteria, and AOE will then evaluate eligibility. She also reminded members that districts may voluntarily merge now and noted she had signed the state's first BOCES earlier that week as an existing regional option.

Next steps: Fonder urged prompt identification of viable district maps so school boards and business managers can resume planning and contract-sharing. "Clarity is kindness," she said, adding that the General Assembly must approve final maps and the agency will continue producing reports and modeling required under Act 73.

The session moved to questions from task force members; no formal votes were recorded in the transcript.