House Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room M103 and Zoom

January 20, 2026 - January 23, 2026

Last Updated 1/23/2026 12:06 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

10:00 AM                   House Floor

 

After Floor                         Lunch and Caucuses

 

1:00 PM                   Governor's 2027 Budget Address

Joint Assembly, House Chamber

 

2:30 PM                   School District Redistricting Task Force Report: Appendix E

Cooperative Education Service Agencies

Review

Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, Representative, School District Redistricting Task Force

 

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

9:15 AM                   H. 687 - An act relating to an exception to the moratorium on approval of new approved independent schools

Introduction and walk-through

Rep. Edward "Teddy" Waszazak, Sponsor, Washington-3

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

 

9:30 AM                   H. 495 - An act relating to the consideration of consolidated school district boundaries using existing regional structures

Introduction and walk-through

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

Rep. Philip Jay Hooper, Sponsor, Orange-Washington-Addison

 

10:00 AM                   Miscellaneous Education Bill

Compact for Education

Annie Gianni, State Relations Strategist, Education Commission of the States

 

11:00 AM                   Committee Discussion

Act 73 of 2025

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:15 PM                   Equitable Budgeting

Nathan Lavery, Executive Director of Finance, Burlington School District - Zoom

 

2:10 PM                   Committee Discussion

Act 73 of 2025

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

Thursday, January 22, 2026

9:15 AM                   H. 681 - An act relating to voter approval prior to school closure

Introduction & walk-through

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

Rep. Herb Olson, Representative, Sponsor

Rep. Leanne Harple, Representative, Sponsor

Rep. David Yacovone, Representative, Sponsor - Invited

 

10:00 AM                   Career Technical Education Concept Overview

Virtual Joint Hearing with the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development  and Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs

This hearing will take place in Room 35 will be livestreamed on the House Commerce and Economic Development YouTube page: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-commerce-and-economic-development

 

Zoie Saunders, Secretary, Agency of Education

Kendal Smith, Commissioner, Vermont Department of Labor

Jay Ramsey, Director of Workforce Development, Vermont Department of Labor

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:15 PM                   NEK Day

John Castle, Executive Director, Vermont Rural Education Collaborative

Elaine Collins, Ed.D., Superintendent, North Country Supervisory Union

Kay Freedy, Danville School Board & Hazen Union Teacher

Lisa McCarthy, Principal, Craftsbury

Brian Bloomfield, Head of School, Lyndon Institute

Sean McMannon, Superintendent, Kingdom East School District

Colby Barrett, 8th Grade Student, Burke Town School

Owen Tyburski, 8th Grade Student, Burke Town School

 

2:15 PM                   Vermont Superintendents Association

Joint Hearing with the Senate Education Committee

This hearing will take place in Room 11 and will be live-streamed on the Senate Education YouTube page: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-education

Response to Agency of Education mapping update

Amy Minor, Superintendent, Vermont Superintendents Association

Brooke Olsen-Farrell, Superintendent, Slate Valley Unified School District

Patrick Reen, Trustee, Vermont Superintendents Association

 

3:00 PM                   House Floor

 

3:30 PM                   Boards of Cooperative Education

Update

Jill Graham, Executive Director, Vermont Learning Collaborative - Zoom

Sherry Sousa, Superintendent, Mountain Views Supervisory Union - Zoom

 

Friday, January 23, 2026

9:00 AM                   H. 698 - An act relating to various changes to 2025 Acts and Resolves No. 73

Introduction and walk-through

Rep. Martha Feltus, Representative, Sponsor

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

Jon Gray, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

After Floor                         Committee Discussion

Act 73 of 2025

 

11:00 AM                   Miscellaneous Education Bill

Chronic Absenteeism

Jill Briggs Campbell, Deputy Secretary, Agency of Education

Anne Bordonaro, Deputy Chief of Accountability, Assessment, and Continuous Improvement, Agency of Education - Zoom

Courtney O'Brien, Safe and Healthy Schools Division Director, Agency of Education

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

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

 Matt Sorensen at Matt.Sorensen@vtleg.gov