By Guy Page
The big school reform bill will be voted out of House Education by the end of this week, House leaders said at a press conference today. The bill will recommend larger class sizes and a statewide grand list.
It also sets a base of 4000 students per school district but otherwise does not address district sizes, numbers or boundaries. There’s not enough time this session to get that complex task right, the leaders said.
The potential one-year delay is not acceptable to Gov. Phil Scott, he indicated in a press statement today.
“I also want to be upfront with legislators, I will not support adjourning this session without a bill to transition to a new funding system, establish a new governance structure that unlocks transformation, and includes a specific implementation timeline. All these steps are necessary to improve equity, maximize efficiency, achieve educational excellence and be cost effective for taxpayers,” Scott said.
Governors are empowered to call special sessions of the Legislature after adjournment.
Committee member and Republican Casey Toof (St. Albans) said the current bill doesn’t provide enough leeway for independent schools to operate as they always have. The bill mandates teacher licensure even though Vermont’s independent schools (like St. Johnsbury Academy) don’t have firm licensure requirements.
The Burlington charter change banning guns in bars, S.131, got an initial run-through in Senate Government Operations today, Thursday March 27. No in-depth testimony, not vote, just an overview. Like many charter change bills, S.131 could get to the Senate floor this year even though it didn’t make the Crossover deadline earlier this month, Chair Brian Collamore said.
Senate Pro Tem Phil Baruth (D-Chittenden and Burlington resident) is the sole sponsor.
A bill to increase State of Vermont advertising in Vermont media, H.244, was given initial OK in the House Wednesday and was scheduled for final approval today.
During a H.244 press conference Tuesday, Lt. Gov. John Rodgers excoriated the Trump administration for ‘attacking’ and ‘trying to destroy’ the news media. Asked about the comment later, the Republican LG said he was referring to Trump’s defamation suit against a major media company and his administration’s proposed funding cut for the Voice of America, an overseas news outlet funded by the U.S. government.
The House declared March 21 as World Day of Glaciers, pursuant to a United Nations declaration coinciding with a UN Headquarters glacier summit on the same day. The resolution directs the Vermont Secretary of State to send word of the resolution to the United Nations Secretary General. The resolution was offered by Rep. William Greer (D-Bennington).
Speaking of resolutions, retired U.S. Marine and Sen. Larry Hart (R-Orange) today spoke on the Senate floor in support of H.154, designating November as the Vermont Month of the Veteran.
The House this week passed a resolution “reaffirming the friendship between the State of Vermont and Taiwan.” The island nation is the second-largest export destination for Vermont goods, worth about $254 million, the bi-partisan resolution states.
A consortium of social services groups called Vermont Care Partners is asking for a 6.2% Medicaid rate increase to “help keep the lights on” of their organizations, which includes Howard Family Services and Washington County Mental Health and other regional organizations providing services to vulnerable Vermonters.
Land donated – 125 acres of land in Cavendish, worth $184,830, was donated by Pieter Van Schaik to the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation. It will become part of the Lord State Forest.
Happy 50th, Brattleboro Co-op – A House resolution commended the Brattleboro Co-op for turning 50 this year. The cultural and food center of downtown Brattleboro opened in 1975.