Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0089 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.89
2	2	2025 Page 1 of 4
3	3
4	4
5	5	VT LEG #379624 v.1
6	6	H.89 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Tagliavia of Corinth, Coffin of Cavendish, 2
8	8	Demar of Enosburgh, Keyser of Rutland City, Labor of 3
9	9	Morgan, Morgan, M. of Milton, Page of Newport City, and 4
10	10	Powers of Waterford 5
11	11	Referred to Committee on 6
12	12	Date: 7
13	13	Subject: Education; maintenance of public schools; elementary education; 8
14	14	secondary education; school choice 9
15	15	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to allow all 10
16	16	Vermont students to attend the school of the student’s choice, paid for by a 11
17	17	School Choice Grant issued by the Agency of Education. The School Choice 12
18	18	Grant would be paid from the Education Fund payment otherwise due to the 13
19	19	student’s school district of residence. This bill also proposes to require the 14
20	20	Joint Fiscal Office to issue a report with recommendations for the integration 15
21	21	of the school choice program into Vermont’s current education funding 16
22	22	structure. 17
23	23	An act relating to school choice for all Vermont students 18 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.89
24	24	2025 Page 2 of 4
25	25
26	26
27	27	VT LEG #379624 v.1
28	28	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
29	29	Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 822b is added to read: 2
30	30	§ 822b. SCHOOL CHOICE 3
31	31	(a) Policy. It shall be the policy of the State of Vermont to allow a parent 4
32	32	and the parent’s child in grades prekindergarten through 12 to choose which 5
33	33	public or independent school the child shall attend, regardless of the child’s 6
34	34	district of residence. 7
35	35	(b) Parental choice of school. On or before a date set by the Secretary of 8
36	36	Education in the second semester of a school year, the parent or guardian of a 9
37	37	student may select from a list of public and approved independent schools 10
38	38	maintained by the Agency of Education the school to which the parent or 11
39	39	guardian wishes to have the parent or guardian’s child attend for the coming 12
40	40	school year, and shall notify the Agency of that choice. Failure to notify the 13
41	41	Agency in a timely manner shall be deemed to indicate that the parent or 14
42	42	guardian wishes the child to remain in the school in which the student currently 15
43	43	attends. The State Board of Education shall by rule provide for midyear 16
44	44	transfers and adjustments in extraordinary cases. 17
45	45	(c) Acceptance of choice of school. A Vermont public school shall accept 18
46	46	all students whose parent or guardian has selected that school unless the school 19
47	47	has insufficient capacity or resources. In that case, the school shall accept 20
48	48	students who apply by lottery but may give preference to students whose 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.89
49	49	2025 Page 3 of 4
50	50
51	51
52	52	VT LEG #379624 v.1
53	53	siblings attend the school. An approved independent school may not decline to 1
54	54	accept a student because of race, creed, color, national origin, marital status, 2
55	55	sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 3
56	56	(d) School Choice Grant. Upon parental selection and notification of the 4
57	57	student’s acceptance by the receiving school, the Agency of Education shall 5
58	58	issue a School Choice Grant to the receiving district or approved independent 6
59	59	school selected, which shall be paid from the Education Fund payment 7
60	60	otherwise due the student’s school district of residence. 8
61	61	(e) Nonoperating districts. If a district does not maintain a school for the 9
62	62	grades it is organized to provide education for its resident students, at and after 10
63	63	the inception of the program described in this section, the district shall 11
64	64	continue to pay tuition for each of its resident students according to sections 12
65	65	821 and 822 of this title until a student continuing to reside in the district 13
66	66	completes the student’s secondary education. 14
67	67	(f) Acceptance of School Choice Grants. A Vermont public school shall 15
68	68	accept the tuition paid under the School Choice Grant established in 16
69	69	subsection (d) of this section as full payment for tuition but may assess fees 17
70	70	and other charges related to the cost of providing its customary education 18
71	71	program for all of its students. An approved independent school or an out-of-19
72	72	state public school may charge tuition in excess of the tuition amount paid 20
73	73	under the School Choice Grant under subsection (e) of this section, but 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.89
74	74	2025 Page 4 of 4
75	75
76	76
77	77	VT LEG #379624 v.1
78	78	payment of the excess amount shall be the responsibility of the parent or 1
79	79	guardian. 2
80	80	Sec. 2. SCHOOL CHOICE FUNDING; REPORT 3
81	81	On or before January 15, 2026, the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) shall prepare a 4
82	82	written report for the House and Senate Committees on Education, the House 5
83	83	Committee on Ways and Means, and the Senate Committee on Finance, with 6
84	84	recommendations for the integration of the school choice program created in 7
85	85	Sec. 1 of this act into Vermont’s current education funding structure, in 8
86	86	accordance with the State policy set out in 16 V.S.A. § 822b(a). In preparing 9
87	87	the report, JFO shall consult with the Agency of Education and any other 10
88	88	relevant stakeholders. 11
89	89	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATES 12
90	90	This act shall take effect on passage, except that Sec. 1 shall take effect on 13
91	91	August 1, 2026. 14