By Guy Page 

A Vermont education advocacy group is raising concerns about the state’s school governance reform law, saying it increases consolidation, reduces school choice, and fails to address high costs and stagnant student performance.

In a Feb. 20 press release, EdWatch Vermont said the state spends nearly $27,000 per student — among the highest per-pupil spending rates in the country — while student outcomes remain average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The group also cited state testing data showing about half of Vermont students are not meeting proficiency standards and nearly 30 percent are chronically absent.

“Act 73 represents another step toward centralized control and away from families,” said Retta Dunlap, executive director of EdWatch Vermont. “Rather than examining whether a high-cost system is achieving the desired results, Act 73 continues the trend toward greater consolidation. Consolidation does not necessarily guarantee cost savings over time, and the concern is that structural changes may prioritize administrative organization over individual student needs.”

Act 73, passed by the Vermont Legislature as part of ongoing education reform efforts, restructures school governance and consolidates authority at the state and district levels. At present, both House and Senate Education committees are grappling with differing proposals aimed at consolidation. 

EdWatch Vermont said the law reduces local flexibility and eliminates tuitioning and school choice options in approximately 90 Vermont towns.

As an alternative, EdWatch proposes education funding distributed through a single, statewide structure. The state sets a per-student amount for general education, with additional allocations for special education and transportation as needed. Funding follows the student to the chosen school. Schools — public or independent — operate within that amount. This shifts the system from funding institutions to funding students.

The organization compared Vermont’s spending and outcomes with Mississippi, which it said spends roughly half as much per student but ranks near the top nationally in fourth-grade reading and has made significant recent academic gains, according to NAEP data. EdWatch Vermont also pointed to Mississippi’s school choice options as a contrast to Vermont’s consolidation approach.

“At some point, we must ask whether consolidation is truly the answer — or whether the design of the system is the deeper problem,” Dunlap said. “Vermont may need to consider alternatives to further centralization and instead pursue a funding and governance model that puts students and families first.”

EdWatch Vermont advocates for what it calls a “student-centered education” model that emphasizes educational choice and accountability for spending.

EdWatch Vermont is a nonprofit organization focused on education policy and spending in Vermont and describes its mission as advocating for educational opportunity, accountable spending, and student-centered policies.

State officials and lawmakers who supported Act 73 have previously said the law is intended to improve efficiency, equity, and educational consistency across Vermont’s school system.