Senate Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room 28 and Zoom

January 27, 2026 - January 30, 2026

Last Updated 1/28/2026 3:25 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:05 PM                   Committee Discussion

 

2:10 PM                   Break

 

2:15 PM                   Security Briefing

This item will not be livestreamed due to sensitive content.

Agatha Kessler, Sergeant at Arms, Vermont General Assembly

John Poleway, Chief of Capitol Police, Capitol Police Department

Sara Macera, Capitol Police Department

Joe Tremblay, Capitol Police Officer, Capitol Police Department

 

3:25 PM                   Break

 

3:35 PM                   FY27 Budget

Joint Hearing with House Education Committee

The hearing will take place in Room 11 and be livestreamed on the House Education Committee's YouTube page: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-education

 

Agency of Education FY27 Budget Presentation

Jill Briggs Campbell, Deputy Secretary, Agency of Education

Cassandra Ryan, Chief Financial Officer, Agency of Education

Sean Cousino, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Agency of Education

 

4:25 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:35 PM                   Excess Spending Adjustment

Julia Richter, Principal Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

 

2:20 PM                   Break

 

2:30 PM                   Small and Sparsity Necessity Rules

Jennifer Samuelson, Chair, Vermont State Board of Education - Zoom

Tammy Kolbe, Small Schools and Sparse Schools Standards Committee, State Board of Education - Zoom

 

3:15 PM                   Child Care in Rural Vermont

Janet McLaughlin, Deputy Commissioner, Child Development Division, Department for Children and Families

Aly Richards, Board Chair, Let's Grow Kids Action Network

Erin Roche, Vermont Director, First Children's Finance - Zoom

 

--                                  Adjourn

 

Thursday, January 29, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:30 PM                   Mental Health Advocacy Day

Jason Gingold, Principal, Montpelier Middle and High School - Zoom

Angela Filion, Principal, Allen Brook Elementary School - Zoom

 

2:00 PM                   S. 161 - An act relating to the Governor’s list of scholarship granting organizations

Emily Simmons, General Counsel, Agency of Education

Kirby Keeton, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:30 PM                   School District Mapping

Act 73 of 2025 and mapping

John Adams, Director, Center for Geographic Information, Agency of Digital Services

 

3:00 PM                   S. 313 - An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system

Introduction and Walk-through

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Sponsor

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

 

--                                  Adjourn

 

Friday, January 30, 2026

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:15 PM                   S. 214 - An act relating to the provision of prekindergarten education in geographically isolated school districts

Introduction, walk-through, and discussion

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Sponsor

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

Sharon Ellingwood, School Board Member, NEK Choice School District

Witness TBA, Let's Grow Kids Action Network - Invited

 

2:15 PM                   S. 232 - An act relating to public libraries and the Department of Libraries

Tucker Anderson, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Catherine Delneo, Commissioner and State Librarian, Vermont Department of Libraries

 

--                                  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

 Daphne Kinney-Landis at Daphne.Kinney-Landis@vtleg.gov