By Guy Page
A House Education Committee bill passed Friday that would require Vermont’s private high schools receiving public tuition funds to offer open enrollment – including special education students – has hit a nerve among lawmakers and residents, especially in the Northeast Kingdom.
The bill – an apparent response by the state’s education establishment to a U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring public school tuition for religious schools – would force all private schools, both religious and secular, to conduct open enrollment, accept all students, and abide by pro-LGBTQ accommodations now in state law. Open enrollment and special education are both costly measures, but the bill does not offer additional funding.
The bill is particularly of concern to parents in Essex County who now rely on private Lyndon Institute and St. Johnsbury Academy as their towns’ high school, said Rep. Terri Williams, the House lawmaker representing Essex County towns who is also a member of the education committee.
Gov. Scott was asked by VDC for his take on the controversial committee bill: “Governor, Critics of the Education Committee bill regulating private schools say it punishes rural towns that rely on private schools by requiring open enrollment. What do you think of this bill?”
In an oblique manner, Scott expressed support for private schools, but did not address the controversial specifics of the bill.
“I’ve been a proponent of independent schools,” Scott said. “Individual pivate entities are an essential part of learning in VT and have had a role for decades. I think there is room for both.”
Spoke at all-male club – Gov. Scott also defended his decision to speak at an all-male club in Massachusetts. When asked by VTDigger reporter Sarah Mearhoff if it was ‘kosher’ to address the Clover Club, Scott responded that he was there by invitation from a Vermonter, that the club has had a 130-year history, and that his theme – civility – is something everyone needs to hear.
“Getting that message out to anyone who wants to listen, that’s important,” Scott said.
Categories: Legislation
The legislators are once again are only pushig their woke agenda onto religious schools by including them into the group of private schools. The percentage of religious schools is a very small percentage compared to the public and private schools in this state so it is obvious this is just about religion. I went to a private school in this state because it was a designated school for our town, they didn’t discriminate against a child’s ability to learn or their sexual preferences and I don’t think there are any that do today even religious schools would not have the gaul to ask a small child to tell them if he was straight when most don’t even know what they were talking about. This is just a smokescreen for them to target religion!
A prime argument that seems to be ignored is that these schools ease the burden of public schools. The obvious and the hidden costs. This is why they were funded in the first place.
Of course, the Governor spoke there – it’s Vermont’s “Pick & Choose” segregation and elitism. Despite the voracity & hardship the 19th century Suffrage Movement activists played in history, and despite the mostly earnest efforts of the mid 20th Century feminists — women hold no real power in American society in terms of stature or cashe than they did previously & in fact have allowed men and all different extremist groups to hijack their movement & engender it essentially impotent.
So in the end, although women comprise the majority of the populace, are the largest voting block, have the “authority” (thanks to pro-“choice” rhetoric & accompanying laws) over the life & death of millions of innocents, surpass males in graduating from college, enter high paying medical careers at higher rates than male counterparts, etc. – most women retain their “second-class citizenry” status compared to men, and appear more than comfortable in retaining it. They passively accepted the foolish notion that murdering their own progeny was “empowering” as they did with the Democrat Party ignorantly proclaiming that men can be superior examples of women (Time’s “Woman of the Year” Issue as but one example) and can menstruate, become pregnant, & breast feed. They idiotically defend males on female’s sports teams who then go on to usurp their own daughter’s athletic scholarships for college.
Most women, particularly Democrat Party affiliated women have no concept, from a historical perspective or otherwise, what a true feminist is if the concept were to bite their derriere’s. And as for Scott who full well knows there will be no real repercussions from his decision to rub elbows at an exclusively males-only club in uber-liberal Massachusetts of all places, is par for this course…..women have largely demonstrated themselves to be a spineless group of non-combatants who cave at every whim the left directs them to and offer no united front whatsoever in their once virtuous quest for true equality and respect.
As for Scott’s retort being that the club has a 130-year history, I reply – so did slavery, but I bet you dollars to donuts that Scott wouldn’t be caught dead at an “all-white” establishment. Therefore, with the same lame mentality in mind, we can now cease from guessing why Scott didn’t fight tooth & nail against decriminalizing prostitution in Burlington either.
See you at Hooters next week I guess, huh Governor Scott?
However, some “all men’s clubs” are simply styled on such clubs in England. Simply a place where relatively well-off men went to have dinner, play cards, talk, etc. “Adult entertainment” was not on the bill.
This club may be similar.
Governor Scott attended a “toxic masculine” event of well-heeled money changers in Boston. How dare he!? Considering the membership of this “old club,” I’d say they were discussing their wealth transfer options and where to hide it.