As reported by the Ethan Allen Institute, H.727 – AN ACT RELATING TO THE EXPLORATION, FORMATION, AND ORGANIZATION OF UNION SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICTS” passed the Vermont House of Representatives March 17 by a 98-39 vote. It is now in the Senate.
Purpose: The purpose of H.727 is to update how union schools districts (multi-town school district governed by one board) are formed and how towns can withdraw from school districts, following the adoption of Act 46 in 2015.
The controversy surrounded Article 3 of H.727, regarding town withdrawal. Current Vermont statute as drafted in 1967, requires that citizens of a town hoping to withdraw their town from a district must approach the State Board of Education and show that there is classroom space available to accommodate students moving to new schools. These individuals can bring the matter to the town for a vote. H.727 would require more analysis be completed before the proposed withdrawal goes to vote, and gives the State Board of Education a final say in that withdrawal process.
Analysis: Those voting YES believe Vermont’s union school district language needs a serious update from 1967, believe this is in the best interest of Vermont students. The town withdrawal language simply adds a requirement that those seeking to withdraw their town from a school district put forward complete information to local voters before there is a vote, so they can make a more fully informed decision.
Those voting NO objected to the added roadblocks for a town withdrawing from a school district. The proposed process for making a more fully informed decision will become much more difficult for smaller towns hoping to separate from their district. H.727 takes away local decision-making power and centralizes it in the State Board of Education, which will be given more of a final say in authorizing a separation.
As H.727 states “if the State Board determines that it is in the best interests of the State, the students, and the districts involved…” The House Education Committee did not hear any testimony from local town officials suggesting the further reporting requirement is necessary. Opponents suggested that the town of Lincoln’s 2020 separation from its district is an example of a thoroughly informed citizenry voting to separate, and suggested that other small towns will have a much more difficult time of withdrawing in the wake of H.727.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Thursday, March 17, 2022: “Pending the question, Shall the bill be read a third time?, Rep. Cordes of Lincoln demanded the Yeas and Nays, which demand was sustained by the Constitutional number. The Clerk proceeded to call the roll and the question, Shall the bill be read a third time?, was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 98. Nays, 39.” (Read the Journal, p. 648-653)
Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
These roll call reports are designed to help citizens understand how their elected representatives vote on key issues. The bills may or may not eventually become law. Click on the link to the bill page at the top of this post for an up to date status on the bill.
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
| Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – YES Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre City) – NO Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – YES Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – YES Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – YES Erin Brady (D – Williston) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – YES Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – ABSENT Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – ABSENT Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – NO Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) – NO Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – YES Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – NO Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – NO Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – ABSENT Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – NO Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland City) – YES Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans Town) – YES Karen Dolan (D – Essex) – YES Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – NO Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland City) – YES Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – YES John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES Rey Garofano (D – Essex) – YES Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – YES Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – YES James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – YES Lisa Hango (R – Berkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – YES Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – YES Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – ABSENT Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – NO John Kascenska (R – Burke) – YES John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – ABSENT Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING Larry Labor (R – Morgan) – NO Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) –YES Wayne LaRoche (R – Franklin) – NO | Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – NO Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – YES Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans City) – YES Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – YES James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre Town) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – NO Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – NO Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – NO Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) – YES Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – NO Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – YES William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport City) – YES Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO John Palasik (R – Milton) – ABSENT Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – NO Henry Pearl (D – Danville) – ABSENT Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – YES Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – NO Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – YES Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – YES Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – YES Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – NO Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – NO Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – ABSENT Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – ABSENT Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – NO Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland Town) – ABSENT George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES Casey Toof (R – St. Albans Town) – YES Maida Townsend (D – S. Burlington) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – NO Matt Walker (R – Swanton) – ABSENT Tommy Walz (D – Barre City) – YES Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – ABSENT Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – YES Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – YES Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – NO Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES |