House Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room 9 and Zoom

January 24, 2023 - January 27, 2023

Last Updated 1/27/2023 2:48 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-education.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

10:00 AM                   House Floor and Caucuses

 

11:20 AM                   Budget Adjustment Act

Sean Cousino, Chief Financial Officer, Agency of Education

Jennifer Samuelson, Chair, Vermont State Board of Education

Brad James, Finance Manager, Agency of Education

Sen. David Weeks, Senate Committee on Education

Ted Fisher, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, Agency of Education

 

-                                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Workforce Development

Northeast Kingdom

John Castle, Executive Director, Vermont Rural Education Collaborative

Jennifer Botzojorns, Superintendent, Kingdom East Supervisory District

 

2:00 PM                   School Construction Report

Updates

Dan French, Secretary, Agency of Education

Jill Briggs Campbell, COVID-19 Federal Emergency Funds Project Manager, Agency of Administration

 

2:30 PM                   Agency of Education

Staffing of independent school oversight

Dan French, Secretary, Agency of Education

 

3:00 PM                   Break

 

3:20 PM                   Shared School District Data Management System

Final language

Beth St. James, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Ted Fisher, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, Agency of Education

 

3:45 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

9:05 AM                   Hunger Free Vermont

Doug Davis, Former School Nutrition Director, Burlington School District

Harley Sterling, School Nutrition Director and President of SNAVT, Windham Northeast Supervisory Union

Karyl Kent, School Nutrition Director, Lamoille North Supervisory Union

 

10:05 AM                   Education Quality Standards

Josh Souliere, Interim Director, Education Quality Division, Agency of Education

 

10:35 AM                   Break

 

11:00 AM                   Equitable and Inclusive School Environments

Report overview and recommendations for legislation

Amy Wheeler-Sutton, Co-Director, University of Vermont Building Effective Supports for Teaching Project

Cassandra Townshend, Co-Director, University of Vermont Building Effective Supports for Teaching Project

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Public Funds for Tuition

Overview of 2022 S.219 - An act relating to ensuring compliance with the U.S. and Vermont Constitutions in the use of public funds for tuition

Beth St. James, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:05 PM                   Vermont State Colleges

Overview of 2022 H.456 - An act relating to establishing strategic goals and reporting requirements for the Vermont State Colleges

Beth St. James, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:20 PM                   Shared School District Data Management System

SSDDMS mandate repeal language

Beth St. James, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Ted Fisher, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, Agency of Education

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

-                                   Adjourn

 

Thursday, January 26, 2023

10:00 AM                   Approved Independent Schools

Overview of 2020 report on approved independent schools receiving state money

Doug Hoffer, State Auditor, State Auditor's Office

 

10:40 AM                   Break

 

11:00 AM                   School Accreditation Process

New England Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Process - K-12 schools

Cameron Staples, President, New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Alyson Geary, Director of Accreditation and School Improvement for Public Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Dan Ferris, Director of Accreditation and School Improvement for Independent Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   Home Study

Agency of Education proposed language

Dan French, Secretary, Agency of Education

 

1:30 PM                   School Safety

Agency of Education plans and proposals

Dan French, Secretary, Agency of Education

Emily Simmons, General Counsel, Agency of Education

 

2:00 PM                   School Construction Funding

Michael Pieciak, Vermont State Treasurer, Office of the State Treasurer

Scott Baker, Director Financial Reporting, Office of the State Treasurer

Ashlynn Doyon, Director of Financial Literacy, Outreach, and Special Projects, Office of the State Treasurer

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

Followed by ethics training for members

 

-                                   Adjourn

 

Friday, January 27, 2023

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

10:15 AM                   Committee Priorities and Decision Points

Committee discussion

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:30 PM                   Home Study

Retta Dunlap, Home School Advocate, Vermont Home Education Network

 

2:00 PM                   Approved Independent Schools

Tracking progress of students going to approved independent schools

Michael Clark, Superintendent, Grand Isle Supervisory Union

Nathan Freeman, Superintendent, Essex North Supervisory Union

 

2:40 PM                   Adjourn

 

ATTENTION WITNESSES

 

Please email handouts to the committee assistant at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting time. With few exceptions, any documents you send to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

 Rowan Hawthorne at rhawthorne@leg.state.vt.us