Last week I attended the National Forum on Education Policy in Washington DC, the annual conference for education policy experts from around the country, hosted by the Education Commission of the States. The Commission was launched in 1965 as a result of the Compact for Education between all 50 states, with the goal of creating a mechanism for “states to join together for the improvement of education” and form “a partnership between the political and professional forces in education [to] stimulate the kind of cooperation that could be crucial to the future of American education.”
It was an exciting place to be after playing a major role in advancing education reform measures in Vermont. I attended workshops and presentations on issues including managing school finances in the face of declining enrollment, the future of property taxes, PK-12 facilities policy, school district boundary changes, designing more equitable student scholarships, and school-based health centers. I talked with colleagues in Tennessee about career & technical education, Rhode Island about school facilities planning, Oregon about rural transportation, Michigan about student health, Pennsylvania about supporting new teachers, Maine about school consolidation, and Nebraska about school meals.
One of the primary things I learned is that the education challenges facing Vermont are not unique. We have declining school enrollment, but so does every other state in the country, except North Dakota, Utah, and Idaho. We have the second oldest school buildings in the country, but nearly every other state is also dealing with failing school facilities. We have increased student absenteeism and mental health challenges since the pandemic, but so does every other state. The high cost of health care is squeezing our school budgets, and that is true in nearly every other state too.
I got ideas for future legislation, and I was happy to share what we’re doing in Vermont, which many education policy experts around the country are already watching. I wrote to you last month about the consensus K-12 education reform. Now I’ve expanded it to include other education legislation of note, as part of my overall 2026 legislative summary. I’ll have more policy summaries coming soon.
Thanks for reading, and stay cool and safe out there!
Photo Note: Atop the MLK Library roof garden in Washington DC with fellow Vermonters at the Forum, from the Joint Fiscal Office and Education Commission of the States.
Discover more from Ruth for Vermont
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
