| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.148 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 3 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #378661 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | H.148 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representative Rachelson of Burlington 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Referred to Committee on 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Date: 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Subject: Education; school districts; governance 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Secretary of Education to develop a detailed proposal to move the State to a 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | single statewide school district similar to the education governance model in 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Hawaii. 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | An act relating to creating a statewide school district 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 1. STATEWIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT; PROPOSAL; REPORT 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | (a) Findings. 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) In fiscal year 2019, Vermont had the lowest student-per-school 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | district average in the United States, with an average of 315 students per 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | school district. Nationally, the average size of a school district was 3,382 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | students. 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) The next lowest five states in this category had three times as many 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | students per school district as Vermont’s 2019 average. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.148 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 2025 Page 2 of 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | VT LEG #378661 v.1 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) In the 2023–2024 school year, Vermont had 52 supervisory unions, 1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 118 school districts, and approximately 308 principals. 2 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) The role of the voters and taxpayers is to approve school budgets and 3 |
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| 32 | 32 | | payment of education taxes. 4 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) In fiscal year 2023, the education payment for a total of 83,733 5 |
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| 34 | 34 | | students was $157,250,000.00. In fiscal year 2023, the income yield was 6 |
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| 35 | 35 | | $15,948.00 per equalized pupil. 7 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) Between fiscal year 2004 and fiscal year 2023, total enrollment in 8 |
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| 37 | 37 | | Vermont public schools in grades kindergarten through grade 12 decreased by 9 |
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| 38 | 38 | | 21.5 percent. 10 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (7) Vermont has a unique education finance system with a statewide 11 |
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| 40 | 40 | | funding formula coupled with local administration. The tax formula and 12 |
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| 41 | 41 | | process are confusing and not easily understood. Currently, a district’s 13 |
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| 42 | 42 | | homestead tax rates are determined by its per pupil education spending. 14 |
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| 43 | 43 | | (8) Health care bargained on a statewide basis is more efficient than 15 |
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| 44 | 44 | | local bargaining, and statewide bargaining on other terms of teachers’ contracts 16 |
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| 45 | 45 | | would also be more efficient than local bargaining. Vermont lags in average 17 |
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| 46 | 46 | | salary of teachers compared to the United States and New England. 18 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) Proposal to transition to a single statewide school district. In order to 19 |
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| 48 | 48 | | maximize the ability to provide equitable educational opportunities to the 20 |
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| 49 | 49 | | State’s small, declining student population while also minimizing 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.148 |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2025 Page 3 of 3 |
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| 52 | 52 | | |
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| 53 | 53 | | VT LEG #378661 v.1 |
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| 54 | 54 | | administrative and overhead costs, the Secretary of Education shall develop a 1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | proposal by which the State shall transition to a single statewide school district. 2 |
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| 56 | 56 | | In developing the proposal, the Secretary shall consider the education 3 |
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| 57 | 57 | | governance model in Hawaii, including the positive and negative effects that 4 |
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| 58 | 58 | | transition to the model has had on educational opportunities, outcomes, and 5 |
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| 59 | 59 | | budgets in Hawaii and on the provision and funding of special education 6 |
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| 60 | 60 | | services in that state. The Secretary shall also investigate the need for waivers 7 |
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| 61 | 61 | | or other federal actions necessary to transition Vermont to a statewide school 8 |
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| 62 | 62 | | district. 9 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (c) Report. On or before January 15, 2026, the Secretary shall present a 10 |
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| 64 | 64 | | detailed proposal, including a timeline, to the House and Senate Committees 11 |
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| 65 | 65 | | on Education to transition the State to a single statewide school district by 12 |
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| 66 | 66 | | fiscal year 2028. 13 |
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| 67 | 67 | | Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 14 |
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| 68 | 68 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 15 |
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