Senate Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room 28 and Zoom

April 15, 2025 - April 18, 2025

Last Updated 4/18/2025 3:38 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-education.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:15 PM                   Committee Budget Letter

Jess DeCarolis, M.A., M.Ed., Division Director, Student Pathways, Public Education Consulting Services

Bernice Garnett, MPH, Sc.D, Burack Green & Gold Associate Professor of Education, College of Education and Social Services, University of Vermont

Morgan Crossman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Building Bright Futures

Tom Cheney, Executive Director, Advance Vermont

 

2:35 PM                   H. 454 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems

Introduction and walk-through of policy language in H.454. This will be a joint hearing with the Senate Finance Committee. The committees will join via zoom and the hearing will be livestreamed on the Senate Finance YouTube Channel. https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-finance

Rep. Peter Conlon, Chair, House Committee on Education

Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, Chair, House Committee on Ways and Means

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

 

3:50 PM                   Break

 

4:00 PM                   H. 454 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems

Jon Gray, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Kirby Keeton, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

5:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:30 PM                   H. 454 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems

Policy walk-through continuation and walk-through of  financial elements of H.454. This will be a joint hearing with the Senate Finance Committee. The committees will join via Zoom and the hearing will be livestreamed on the Senate Finance YouTube Channel. https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-finance

Jon Gray, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Julia Richter, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

 

4:00 PM                   Adjourn

Due to technical difficulties, the committee was not able to reconvene after a break.

 

Thursday, April 17, 2025

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:50 PM                   District Spending Analysis

Julia Richter, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

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

 

2:50 PM                   Break

 

2:55 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

3:00 PM                   School Employee Healthcare

Overview of history and current status of legislation regarding negotiations for health benefits.

Sophie Zdatny, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Sue Ceglowski, Executive Director, Vermont School Boards Association

Rebecca McBroom, General Counsel, Vermont National Education Association

 

3:40 PM                   Break

 

4:35 PM                   H. 454 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems

Testimony on foundation formula weights. This will be a joint hearing with Senate Finance. The committees will join via Zoom and the hearing will be livestreamed on the Senate Education YouTube Channel.

Tammy Kolbe, Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research

 

6:05 PM                   Adjourn

 

Friday, April 18, 2025

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:15 PM                   H. 480 - An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to education law

Testimony on the National Guard Tuition Benefit Program

Thomas Little, Vice President, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

 

1:25 PM                   H. 454 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems

Continuation of walk-through from Tuesday 4/15.

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

 

3:00 PM                   H. 480 - An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to education law

Testimony on literacy language in the miscellaneous education bill, formerly from S.15.

Emily Lesh, Project Manager, Act 28 Literacy Initiative, Agency of Education

Emily Leute, PBL English/Language Arts Coordinator, Agency of Education

Gwen Carmolli, Chair, Advisory Council on Literacy

Cynthia Gardner-Morse, Literacy Tutor

 

3:40 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.

 

Should you require accessibility services, please click here and note that requests should be made 48 hours in advance of testimony.

 

 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

 Will Slattery at wslattery@leg.state.vt.us