Senator Baruth,

I’m sure it is not lost on you how important the pick for committee chair of Education is at this moment in time. Vermont is in the midst of an education spending crisis that will take care, attention, and perspective to address. Who is steering the education policy ship in the Senate will matter a great deal as the legislature rises to meet this challenge.

Today, Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV) released a report looking at education data in Vermont to help identify opportunities for cost savings and better performance. A decade after Act 46, it’s clear that district consolidation was not the answer. Education spending has skyrocketed while outcomes have declined.

As a property taxpayer, I was relieved to see that the December 1^st letter from the Tax Commissioner did not warn of another double-digit tax increase. However, as a public policy advocate, that relief dissipated as I dug into the details.

Today we released a report examining migration patterns into and out of the state using Census and Internal Revenue Service data.

As humans, we love to follow the path of least resistance, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our technologically administered society has embraced the trifecta of quick, simple, and easy. As technical innovations have brought the whole world on demand and within easy reach of our fingertips, the pursuit of the “here and now” has triumphed over delayed gratification; we aim to numb ourselves from all friction, pain, and aggravation. Lest we prematurely and euphorically celebrate our perceived triumphs over such friction, we might pause and inquire as to the cost? What might be the unintended consequences to our personal well-being and performance as we continue along this trajectory?

So much of our resilience is forged in the crucible of discomfort. Muscles and mental acuity both require resistance and stimulation; like a body builder working out at a gym or a scholar studying for long hours. Inertia and inaction lead to boredom and frailty. Where will we acquire our grit, our perseverance, our anti-fragility in a world served up with the click of a button or voice command? In particular, where will the youth of today experience these things when the accelerationism surrounding AI promises to reduce our cognitive load in the same manner that earth moving machines and relieved the burdens on our muscles? How has this already impacted education? How will it impact it in the future?