House Education committee debates funding and staffing for required CISAs

The House Education committee on March 31 discussed how to fund and staff the Cooperative Interlocal School Arrangements (CISAs) that the committee is preparing to require, focusing on startup grants, facilitator support and whether to provide seed money for initial executive directors.

Members said the Vermont Learning Collaborative testified that a $10,000 development grant exists in state law and that presenters had cited roughly $5,000 as a typical startup cost. The committee is working under an assumption of seven CISAs, which would imply $35,000 in one-time $5,000 startup payments, but members repeatedly warned that $5,000 alone would likely be insufficient to get multi-district collaborations fully operational.

Why it matters: Mandating CISAs without clear funding risks creating unfunded mandates for districts. Committee discussion centered on whether the state should provide seed funding for initial staffing and facilitation to ensure new CISAs can form and collaborate effectively.

Committee discussion and budget context

Committee members noted personnel and facilitation are the primary cost drivers. One proposal under consideration was a $50,000 startup grant to support the first executive director of a CISA; members described that executive-director pay and ongoing staffing costs were not covered by the $5,000 startup figure the witnesses cited. Using the seven-CISA assumption, members sketched rough totals—counting development grants and startup fees—and discussed whether remaining funds from a $4 million education-transformation appropriation or other leftover balances could be used; available balances were described as uncertain and estimates were presented as approximations rather than final figures.

Members also discussed structuring facilitator support as a shared resource: options included a small facilitator team to help new CISAs form or assigning responsibility to an existing CISA or nonprofit to hold facilitator contracts and distribute services. The Vermont Learning Collaborative (as described in testimony) had included consultation and membership costs in its startup estimate; committee members debated whether that kind of consultation could reliably get districts to the point of hiring an executive director.

Precedents and consulting costs

Speakers referenced prior programs for context: during Act 46 implementation some grants included an initial $50 facilitator portion within a larger $150 grant, and Act 153 provided reimbursements of up to $20,000 for legal and consulting services. A preliminary consulting rate cited from the school boards association was about $150 per hour; committee members said final facilitation costs would depend on hours and regional needs—some areas may need little support while others will require intensive facilitation.

Next steps and procedural notes

Members asked staff to gather consulting-price estimates, clarify appropriation balances and consult legislative counsel about what the bill can require versus what would create an unfunded mandate. No formal motions or votes were recorded on funding levels or mandates during the session. The committee paused to change agenda items and said it will return with more detailed cost information before advancing legislative language.

Quotes

“We are looking currently at having seven CISAs,” the committee chair said as members reviewed initial cost estimates. “That seems a little low to me” when referring to a $5,000 startup figure for new CISAs.

Ending

The committee did not adopt final dollar figures or mandate language; staff were asked to collect additional data and legal guidance to inform drafting of a bill.