MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Facing sharp opposition among lawmakers, the Vermont Senate on Thursday opted to scrap its version of a controversial education reform bill.
The Senate had been working on its version of the education reform plan since mid-April, but has faced sharp opposition from critics. Many have said lawmakers should instead address the real cost drivers of education, like inflation and spiraling health care costs. Others say lawmakers should look at income rather than property taxes.
Lawmakers have also come to realize that implementing a new funding formula without new district maps would cause taxes to skyrocket in low-spending towns or cause massive budget cuts in schools.
Facing sharp divisions in the chamber, lawmakers on Thursday engaged in procedural gymnastics, ultimately scrapping their bill entirely and making amendments to the House plan. That version rolls out a new foundation formula by 2030 and studies where to redraw district lines, requiring a future Legislature to sign off on any final changes.
“This transition period isn’t going to be easy. I want to level set with everyone — this is a three-year process, minimum,” Gov. Phil Scott said this week.
It remains to be seen whether the proposal can win support from the governor, who has vowed to call a special session if they are unable to come to agreement on a bill that begins systemic education reform. “We’ll keep calling them back until we get something accomplished,” Scott said.
Senate Democrats met on Thursday night between floor sessions, and considered an amendment to try to move parts of the bill forward. But lawmakers conceded there are still deep disagreements about minimum class sizes and how independent schools will fit into the new system. The Senate will pick up on its work on Friday morning.
With the state budget already signed, lawmakers are deep in overtime, costing taxpayers about $300,000 weekly.
The monumental task of education finance reform has been decades in the making. The catalyst was school spending last year that ballooned to over $2 billion and led to a double-digit spike in property taxes — and a political realignment at the Statehouse that led to this moment.
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