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According to preliminary state data, there were 1,927 unhoused students enrolled in Vermont public schools last school year � nearly double the figure from five years prior.

Superior Court Judge Robert Mello agreed with the lawmakers that their suit raised legitimate constitutional questions. But he still ruled in Gov. Phil Scott's favor. The case could be appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court.

Grace Miller parsed 15 years of school spending data to figure out if the school district consolidation law saved any money. And while her statistical analysis found that merged and unmerged districts ultimately spent about the same amount, she also found they spent money in very different ways.

All told, over 900 households could lose their vouchers in the coming few weeks, though officials note that number could change.

Gov. Phil Scott warned that, absent intervention, property taxes could spike again next year. Scott’s letter � and reactions to it � have underlined how little agreement or trust exists between the parties involved in trying to solve the problem.

The school board has once again trimmed its spending plans for the year, and scheduled a fourth budget vote for Sept. 17. Early voting has begun.

With only 15 students when it closed, Windham is an extreme example. But the dynamics at play in this tiny southern Vermont town are nevertheless emblematic of widespread trends.

For years, most schools in Vermont have had rules in place restricting student cellphone use in class. But this year, a handful of schools are taking their cues from a nationwide movement and going phone-free for the entire school day.

A state law passed in 2021 requires all schools, public or private, built or renovated before 1980 to test for the toxic chemicals. For North Country superintendent Elaine Collins, the Newport school’s experience shows that lawmakers gave “zero thought� to “what might happen if we actually found PCBs in schools.�

This major disaster declaration will allow homeowners and renters in Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille and Essex counties to apply for help from FEMA. Municipalities in those counties will also be eligible for federal funding to repair public infrastructure.