New education bill getting attention
2023-02-16
Dear friend,
There's a new education bill in the House that's getting some attention.
This article from Rep. Laura Sibilia, posted last summer, explains the legal and historical context in which the Legislature finds ourselves today.
This issue is likely to heat up, especially now that H.258 was introduced yesterday.
H.258: An act relating to the provision of State-funded education in districts that do not maintain an elementary or high school will lead to some tough conversations and maybe some big changes in public education funding in Vermont.
Quoting from the official summary of the bill, it proposes to:
1) require a school district that does not maintain an elementary school or high school to designate eligible schools to serve as the public school of the district;
2) repeals the definition of approved independent school and the approved independent school approval process, while maintaining the recognized independent school enrollment process;
3) creates a definition of therapeutic schools and makes amendments to special education independent school tuition provisions;
4) makes conforming changes throughout Title 16 regarding the school designation process; and
5) makes conforming changes throughout the Vermont Statutes Annotated based on the repeal of the approved independent school definition and approval process.
Twin Valley Middle High School, “Growing innovators who will change the world.”
What would this mean for Windham-6?
Since Twin Valley has a high school, this bill does not on its surface look like a change to families. Wilmington and Whitingham students would continue to go to Twin Valley. It would be a change in Halifax, where our school district would have to designate and be limited to three public schools to which students could take public tuition. I have not yet been able to study what it would mean for therapeutic and special education in our region.
I do not have an opinion yet on whether I would vote for this. Please let me know your thoughts. Here are a couple early observations.
Proponents of the bill will argue that statewide, the bill would bring more money back into our public schools. They will argue that it will be a positive for the public education system as a whole. It will be a positive for our Constitutional values of equitable access to public education and non-discrimination.
Who might not like it?
If you wanted more school choice than you have now, this goes in the opposite direction overall.
If you like or are comfortable with the current status quo, this is a change.
This issue is both very local and personal, while also having implications with how we follow through on our highest values. Stay tuned!
P.S. I will be attending (via zoom) the Whitingham Selectboard meeting next Wed. Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Whitingham Municipal Center to talk about the Affordable Heat Act. Rep. Laura Sibilia introduced this bill in the House and will attend to talk about it. We will be first on the agenda. Here's the zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82718628428
What other bills do you want me to report on?