Vermont Governor Phil Scott is proposing a sweeping revamp of the state’s education system. It was the focus of his latest briefing on Wednesday as he and his education secretary reviewed the key points of the plan.
Scott has said the state spends too much on education and what is spent does not adequately address the needs of students. His education reform plan is intended to increase the quality of education while lowering costs and property taxes. The Republican says the plan follows three basic principles.
“Nation leading quality, equity from region to region and a funding system that Vermonters can understand and afford which will result in stronger schools, stronger students and more vibrant communities across the state,” Scott said.
Scott said the just released 2024 test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show a decades-long pattern of declining performance that highlights the need for bold change across the state’s entire educational system.
“By creating a new funding formula, students will have more and better opportunities which will get costs under control and create more equity across the state. But we can’t address equity and quality without taking a hard look at how much the system costs and ways to make it more efficient and affordable for taxpayers,” asserted Scott. “The reality is the current system isn’t working for students, educators or taxpayers and we have a real opportunity this session to create a system that increases quality, equity and long-term sustainability of the education system.”
Vermont Agency of Education Secretary Zoie Saunders then detailed the transformation plan, noting that since the governor’s inaugural address in January, the overall framework and many of its details have been put before legislators and stakeholders.
“The governor’s education transformation plan is bold in its focus on strengthening our public education system. The plan is organized around three policy areas involving changes to how we fund education, how we deliver education and how we support education quality,” Saunders explained. “The governor’s proposal is comprehensive and involves many changes. And it needs to be. Over the past several weeks we have heard criticism that the plan is too big, too bold and involves too much change. And to that I say we cannot wait because our kids are depending on us.”
Saunders acknowledged that the conversion will take time.
“We recognize that this is a multi-year effort. So the entire approach is understanding that we need to create a timeline that’s going to work so that we can get this right,” Saunders said. “The initial timeline that we’ve put forward the expectation would be for Fiscal Year 28 to be able to have the changes with governance and funding.”
Last year there was an average 13.8 percent property tax increase in Vermont. An education tax rate estimate provided every December by the state Tax Department is projecting another average statewide increase of 5.9 percent if no action is taken. Governor Scott’s budget proposal includes $77 million to eliminate any projected property tax increase.
