A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers gathered in Montpelier Tuesday to watch Republican Gov. Phil Scott sign a major education reform bill into law. But there鈥檚 no guarantee that Vermont鈥檚 schools, or its taxpayers, will see the transformational changes the legislation aims to deliver.
The bill, , sets in motion a process that could lead to foundational shifts in how Vermont funds and governs public schools. Instead of local voters determining their school funding levels, the state would create a 鈥渇oundation formula鈥� that establishes budgets for all schools. And the more than 100 school districts governing public schools in Vermont would shrink to roughly a dozen.
Scott said the broad goal is to achieve economies of scale, lowering spending and improving outcomes in an education system that has seen costs surge by nearly 50% since he took office nine years ago. He鈥檚 also acknowledged that the proposal would lead to larger class sizes, bigger schools, and the closure of small schools with diminishing enrollments.
"I think there鈥檚 so much work to do that I can鈥檛 even see the finish line.鈥�Caledonia County Sen. Scott Beck
鈥淵es, that solution will look drastically different than what we have today,鈥� Scott said Tuesday. 鈥淭his is just the beginning, and the work we need to do over the summer and into next session will be just as difficult and just as important as what we did this spring.鈥�
The shift to a foundation formula hinges on lawmakers鈥� ability to reach consensus on new district maps next year. And powerful constituencies in the education community and beyond will be working hard during the next legislative session to prevent that from happening.
Superintendents, principals and the state teachers鈥� union, among others, say H.454 will cut funding to schools without addressing the underlying cost drivers 鈥� health care, for instance 鈥� that have led to higher spending. And they say the process used to craft the legislation failed to account for its potentially devastating impacts on schools.
Defenders of small schools, who consider the new law an existential threat to rural communities, will also attempt to block the next phase of legislation.
Caledonia County Sen. Scott Beck, one of six lawmakers who led the final negotiations over the bill, said Tuesday that he fears its detractors will derail the legislation in 2026.
鈥淭his is a significant bill. It has a long way to go,鈥� said Beck, a Republican. 鈥淚 kind of think of it as a ball of sorts. It鈥檚 been inflated and it鈥檚 moving in a direction. But I think there鈥檚 so much work to do that I can鈥檛 even see the finish line.鈥�
Cornwall Rep. Peter Conlon, the Democratic chair of the House Education Committee, said lawmakers will continue to make the case that the proposed education reform plan will rectify deep inequities across district lines.
鈥淪tudents can live in adjacent towns and have very different experiences,鈥� Conlon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 past time to address these inequities and remember that these are all of our students, and each deserves a strong education.鈥�
