On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Phil Scott’s team revealed their plan to change education funding in Vermont. Scott’s plan will eliminate supervisory unions in the state and create five school districts across Vermont. Each will have one school board and one superintendent. The administration said that will streamline efficiency and save money compared to the current model. It also pitched to switch the funding formula to what’s called a “Foundation Formula.”That’s where there is a base funding amount, which is very different from the current model. It believes a base-funding system will create a more transparent and predictable system when it comes to budgets. Across the country, 36 other states use a similar model. “This will reverse the way we budget by allotting an amount that is guaranteed to districts, and this starts with a very generous base amount, and understanding that we will need to add weights to account for different needs of students,” Zoie Saunders, secretary of the agency of education, said. Under Scott’s plan, the new school district board members and budget system would be in place for the 2026-2027 school year, and the new district model would be fully implemented as of July 1, 2027. For this next school year, the plan is to use state funds to buy down or keep property taxes level and begin laying the groundwork for the future. Democratic leadership released a joint House and Senate statement saying the following:“We thank the Governor for bringing forward a proposal to transform Vermont’s public education system and we look forward to working together throughout the session. The Legislature and the Governor are aligned in the belief that we must take on the serious task of transforming our education system so all Vermont kids have the opportunity to thrive.”The Vermont NEA released a statement shortly after and said, “Today’s risky proposal is big on rhetoric but short on the details. And the details matter – a lot. It doesn’t explain how these changes would be better for students. It doesn’t simplify an overly complex school funding system,” said Don Tinney, president of the Vermont NEA.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Phil Scott’s team revealed their plan to change education funding in Vermont.
Scott’s plan will eliminate supervisory unions in the state and create five school districts across Vermont. Each will have one school board and one superintendent.
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The administration said that will streamline efficiency and save money compared to the current model.
It also pitched to switch the funding formula to what’s called a “Foundation Formula.”
That’s where there is a base funding amount, which is very different from the current model.
It believes a base-funding system will create a more transparent and predictable system when it comes to budgets. Across the country, 36 other states use a similar model.
“This will reverse the way we budget by allotting an amount that is guaranteed to districts, and this starts with a very generous base amount, and understanding that we will need to add weights to account for different needs of students,” Zoie Saunders, secretary of the agency of education, said.
Under Scott’s plan, the new school district board members and budget system would be in place for the 2026-2027 school year, and the new district model would be fully implemented as of July 1, 2027.
For this next school year, the plan is to use state funds to buy down or keep property taxes level and begin laying the groundwork for the future.
Democratic leadership released a joint House and Senate statement saying the following:
“We thank the Governor for bringing forward a proposal to transform Vermont’s public education system and we look forward to working together throughout the session. The Legislature and the Governor are aligned in the belief that we must take on the serious task of transforming our education system so all Vermont kids have the opportunity to thrive.”
The Vermont NEA released a statement shortly after and said, “Today’s risky proposal is big on rhetoric but short on the details. And the details matter – a lot. It doesn’t explain how these changes would be better for students. It doesn’t simplify an overly complex school funding system,” said Don Tinney, president of the Vermont NEA.
