Senate Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room 28 and Zoom

February 10, 2026 - February 13, 2026

Last Updated 2/26/2026 10:32 AM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:00 PM                   State Board Authority to Require District Mergers

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

Tucker Anderson, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

1:35 PM                   Break

 

1:45 PM                   Allowable Tuition Report

Ted Gates, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Agency of Education

Sean Cousino, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Agency of Education

 

2:15 PM                   School District Mapping

Response to House Education Proposed Map

Jay Nichols, Senior Executive Director, Vermont Principals' Association

 

2:40 PM                   Break

 

3:15 PM                   S. 259 - An act relating to online driver education

Introduction and Walk-through

Sen. Wendy Harrison, Bill Sponsor

Damien Leonard, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

3:45 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:30 PM                   Disability Advocacy Day

Cammie Naylor, Staff Attorney, Disability Law Project, Vermont Legal Aid

 

2:00 PM                   School District Mapping

Response to House Education Proposed Map

Chelsea Myers, Executive Director, Vermont Superintendents Association - Zoom

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

Sheila Soule, Superintendent, Addison Northwest School District - Zoom

Lynn Cota, Superintendent, Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union - Zoom

 

2:25 PM                   Break

 

3:00 PM                   S. 232 - An act relating to public libraries and the Department of Libraries

Witness Testimony

Johannes Haensch, Expanded Learning Opportunities Program Manager, Agency of Education

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

 

3:45 PM                   School District Mapping

Introduction of House Education Proposed Map

Rep. Peter Conlon, Sponsor

 

4:10 PM                   Adjourn

 

Thursday, February 12, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

2:15 PM                   S. 227 - An act relating to creating immigration protocols in Vermont schools

Witness Testimony

Wilmer Chavarria, Superintendent, Winooski School District

Robert Millar, Board President, Winooski School District

Rebecca Callahan, Ph.D., Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, University of Vermont

Julio Thompson, Director, Civil Rights Unit, Office of the Attorney General

Emily Simmons, General Counsel, Agency of Education

Toren Ballard, Director of Policy and Communications, Agency of Education

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

 

3:50 PM                   Break

 

4:00 PM                   School District Mapping

Response to House Education Proposed Map

Sue Ceglowski, Executive Director, Vermont School Boards Association

Flor Diaz Smith, President, Vermont School Board Association Board of Directors

Jeff Fannon, Executive Director, Vermont National Education Association - Zoom

 

4:40 PM                   Adjourn

 

Friday, February 13, 2026

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:05 PM                   UP for Learning

A Central Vermont Youth Vision for a Future-Facing Education

Matt McLane, Flexible Pathways Administrator, Montpelier High School

Otis Taylor, Student, Montpelier High School

Allegra Muller, Student, Montpelier High School

Olivia Schamberg, Student, Montpelier High School

Gideon Kass, Student, Montpelier High School

Skyler Barnard, Student, Montpelier High School

Michael Clark, Superintendent, Orange Southwest Supervisory Union

Kara Merrill, Director of Student Services, School Counselor Grades 10-12, Randolph Union High School

Shota Armstrong, Student, Randolph Union High School

Zoey Tremblay, Student, Randolph Union High School

Schala Fadden, Student, Randolph Union High School

Harold Quayle, Student, Randolph Union High School

Katie Ingraham, Program Director, UP for Learning

Meredith Scott, Operations Director, UP for Learning

Lindsey Halman, Executive  Director, UP for Learning

 

1:30 PM                   School District Mapping

Response to House Education Proposed Map

Eric Montbriand, Board Chair, Wells Springs School District - Zoom

Lisa Ruud, Superintendent, Grand Isle Supervisory Union

Bob Chutter, Board Chair, Grand Isle Supervisory Union

Dan MacArthur, Board Chair, Marlboro School District

Stacey Peters, Chair, Granville-Hancock Unified School District Board

 

2:25 PM                   Break

 

2:30 PM                   School District Mapping

Response to House Education Proposed Map (Continued)

Lisa McCarthy, Principal, Craftsbury

Ada Allen, Student, Craftsbury Academy

 

3:00 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

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