Dear Members of the Act 73 Task Force,

You have no easy task before you to reconcile all the different perspectives you bring to the table and produce a pathway forward for education reform in Vermont. We were part of the conversations that led to Act 46 and that effort may have just been a foreshadow of this one.

Since 2010, Vermont has consolidated 271 school districts down to 119. During that same timeframe, we have seen spending accelerate and outcomes fall. Today, we are spending 79% above the national average but performing below average when you account for Vermont’s demographics.

What do we know about the group of people that will guide the next phase of education reform?

The working group that Act 73 put in charge of developing a plan for the new education governance system was named a couple short weeks ago. What do we know about them? What solutions will they try to advance? Perhaps more importantly, whose interests will they advocate for?

Vermont’s education system has long grappled with balancing efficiency, equity, and local control. A recent Yale thesis by Grace Miller, titled Evaluating the Impact of School District Mergers in Vermont: Fiscal Reallocation, Equity, and Community Perspectives, provides a comprehensive analysis of the state’s school district merger initiatives from 2010 to 2020. The study examines the fiscal and operational impacts of these mergers, prompted by Vermont’s Act 153 and Act 46, and offers insights into their implications for educational equity, community dynamics, and future consolidation efforts.

S.63 modifies the regulatory duties of the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) with a focus on health information technology, accountable care organizations (ACOs), and hospital budget oversight. The legislation amends several sections of law to enhance coordination, transparency, and efficiency in Vermont’s health care system.

The legislature passed its long-awaited bill to reform the way Vermont finances pre-K to 12 education.  What it neglected to consider is what to do about the quality of the state’s education system.

Ask any legislator, or your neighbor, or yourself, how good Vermont’s schools are, and you’ll find near unanimous agreement that our schools are at the least very good,  and most likely excellent.

Ask me, and I’ll say they are below average.  Why?  Because I go where the data take me.

Act 21 allocates $1M to a nonprofit to purchase and abolish medical debt for eligible residents with incomes ≤400% of the federal poverty level or high debt burdens, ensuring no cost or tax consequences and removal from credit reports. It prohibits credit agencies from reporting medical debt and restricts large health care facilities from selling or reporting such debt, except to nonprofits for debt relief.

The act also defines "behavioral health" to avoid stigmatizing mental health or substance use disorders and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Act 34, enacted by the Vermont General Assembly and signed into law on May 27, 2025, establishes the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Grant Program within the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. The legislation aims to address food insecurity by supporting the purchase and distribution of local food through the Vermont Foodbank.

At the end of last session a number of legislators announced they were not going to run for reelection and over a dozen more lost their reelection bids. In total, this meant 54 new faces in Montpelier this year, which created a serious stir. The political void departing legislators would be leaving behind – in terms of expertise, knowledge of the process, the history behind key bills, familiarity with staff – is hard to overstate.

S.51, as passed by the Vermont House and Senate, amends several sections of Vermont's tax code to expand income tax exclusions and credits. Effective retroactively from January 1, 2025, the legislation modifies provisions related to the Vermont Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), retirement income exclusions, and introduces a new Vermont Veteran Tax Credit.