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Testimony warns S.220’s broad school-spending caps could force cuts; witnesses urge targeting health-care and structural reforms
Summary
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony on S.220, a two-year cap on school spending. Witnesses from educator and business associations said blunt caps risk program cuts and recommended alternatives including capping the actuarial value of school health plans, arbitration reform, district reorganization and temporary transition funding.
Lawmakers on January 14 heard sustained testimony opposing S.220, a bill that would cap school district spending for fiscal years 2028 and 2029, with witnesses urging the Legislature to target major cost drivers rather than impose a blunt per-pupil cap.
Jeff Bannon, who identified himself as an executive director, told the committee that prior attempts to impose statewide spending caps were later repealed and that a new, artificial cap would limit districts’ ability to respond to crises. “That cap . . . should be rejected,” he said, warning that caps risk widening gaps between high- and low-spending districts.
The Vermont School Boards association and school business officials urged the committee to focus on structural cost drivers, chiefly employee health benefits. Sue Zaglowski, executive director of a school boards association, told the panel that health benefits are “approaching $400,000,000 annually” for public school employees and urged…
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