by Gina Galfetti
In a bold move, House Republicans, working closely with the Scott administration, gave the green light to advance H. 454, the education reform bill. While a coalition of Democrats and Progressives ultimately had a majority of votes in the lower chamber. Had some Republicans not voted with the Democrats to sway the body and their Democratic counterparts, the bill would have died. This is evidenced by the fact that Speaker Krowinski, herself a yes vote, exchanged places with Representative Heather Supernault (D), a presumed no vote, to close the gap amid uncertainty. If the bill had been killed, any chance of real structural reform to the education funding system would have been killed with it, leaving Vermonters in a situation where property taxes could continue to skyrocket.
Many House Republicans pushed back on the weak House version of the bill on Friday during debate and vote explanations. However, some House Republicans ultimately made the choice to help the Democrats lock down the votes they needed to advance the bill to the Senate. Senate leadership has assured House Republicans that the upper chamber will work hard to return a bill that delivers real change in a timely manner that the entire legislative body can support and that the Governor can sign. However, only time will tell; time is running out for struggling Vermonters.
House Republicans have shown time and again this session that they are willing to come to the table and work with the Democrat majority, and the education bill is no exception. H.454 was introduced by a coalition of Republicans on behalf of the Scott administration. The bill was meant to be a starting point for bold and effective change to the education funding system and deliver property tax relief, better student outcomes, and higher teacher salaries coupled with overall cost reduction. House Democrats chose to gut the bill, and in a strike-all amendment, created a bill that falls woefully short of meaningful change. Their version of the bill extended the timeline for change by years until 2030, called for even more study groups, and would penalize rural schools.
Leadership in the House has chosen to slow walk or not take up legislation this session that is critically important to Vermont’s future. Bills that would repeal the Clean Heat Standard, promote public safety, and create housing have been left to wither and die on the wall. In layman’s terms, the Democrat House leadership does not want to work on these very important issues. This is a far cry from what Vermonters demanded at the polls last November and is an unacceptable way forward. Some House Democrats have entirely disregarded their fellow Republicans in the chamber and are unwilling to work with them effectively. However, Republicans continue to come to the table and do what they can to work with Democrats and pass meaningful legislation.
There is still hope for education funding reform and property tax relief in the Senate. It will be up to House Democrats to truly work with their Republican counterparts when the Senate returns the bill to the House. House Republicans, in a bipartisan fashion, handed the Democrat majority the votes they needed to guarantee that the bill would advance in its current form amid uncertainty that was broadcast to them by Democrat leadership. However, House Republicans will not be party to the final approval of a bill that does not achieve the goals of the Scott Administration or deliver on the promises they made to their constituents. While some House Democrats may laugh out loud at their fellow Republicans live on YouTube in the lower chamber, House Republicans are ready to shake it off and continue to work with Democrats in the interest of Vermonters and the spirit of change.