As we come to the end of April, it’s wonderful to see so many gorgeous flowers in bloom – my daffodils have been glorious, and now my magnolia, azaleas, and tulips are blooming too! The blossoms of spring mean that the legislative session should be coming to a close soon. Unfortunately, this year, we’ll be working a few weeks longer, until the end of May, as we try to pass a major K-12 education transformation bill, which is a complicated and controversial endeavor.
I know many people have questions about how changes to our K-12 school system may impact their kids, school, community, or property taxes, so I will be hosting a K-12 Education Community Forum on the morning of Saturday, May 10th at the Vergennes High School. I will be joined by Rep. Peter Conlon who chairs the House Education Committee, Senator Steve Heffernan who is a member of the Senate Education Committee, and Addison Northwest Superintendent Sheila Soule. Save the date and stay tuned for more information!
The education transformation bill, H.454, that was introduced in late February in the House has made its way to the Senate. You can read a Joint Fiscal Office summary of the bill as passed by the House. Currently, the Senate Education Committee is working on the bill and it will next come to the Senate Finance Committee, where I’m a member. I have serious concerns about the proposed changes by the Senate Education Committee, which would shift resources away from public schools toward private schools, so there is still a lot of work to do to actually help Vermont public schools and taxpayers. The bill is getting attention outside of Vermont – if you’re interested, listen to this episode, “Public Education in on the Precipice” from the podcast, Have You Heard.
If you missed the last community forum about the impact of federal actions on Vermont, you can still watch the recording on the MCTV website or read about the forum in the Addison Independent. In an effort to bring attention to various actions of the federal government and their impact on Vermont, each day a member of the VT Senate is speaking up about a different issue during our floor sessions. This past week, I spoke about the importance of defending international students, particularly as a senator who represents more than 2,500 college students. You can read my remarks here; they will also be published as an editorial in The Middlebury Campus later this week.
While there’s been a lot of talk about “the crisis” in Vermont’s K-12 education system, I want to end with one of the many stories about truly wonderful things happening in Vermont’s public schools. Check out this article in Seven Days, “Class Act,” about the Addison Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) program at Hannaford Career Center. The A.R.T. program has been around for decades, inspiring the creativity of hundreds of students (including my daughter) and preparing many of them for careers in the performing arts. We have incredible public schools in Vermont, with thousands of dedicated teachers and staff members. Let’s be sure this isn’t lost in the process of “transforming” our education system. Take care and enjoy the return of spring in Vermont!
Ruth for Vermont 