Senate Committee on Education

 

AGENDA

 

Room 28 and Zoom

April 14, 2026 - April 17, 2026

Last Updated 4/10/2026 6:14 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

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

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:15 PM                   Act 73 of 2025

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

 

2:15 PM                   H. 650 - An act relating to educational technology products

Witness TBA, Agency of Education - Invited

Abigail  Wilson, Director of State Policy, Software & Information Industry Association - Zoom

Walter Ripley, Board President, VITA-Learn - Zoom

Peter Drescher, Vice President, VITA-Learn - Zoom

 

3:15 PM                   Act 73 of 2025

School District Merger Process

Jackie Wilson

 

3:30 PM                   H. 542 - An act relating to terminating testing of schools in Vermont for polychlorinated biphenyls

Chris Young, Principal, North Country Union High School

Rebecca Fillion, Principal, Twin Valley Elementary School

 

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:30 PM                   H. 930 - An act relating to addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism

Witness Testimony

Nick Connor, Director of Student Engagement and Data, Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools

Cara Gleason Krebs, School Services Director, Howard Center - Invited

 

2:00 PM                   TBA

 

3:00 PM                   Act 73 of 2025

School District Merger Process

Jamie Kinnarney, Superintendent, White River Valley Supervisory Union

Elaine Pinckney, Former Superintendent, Chittenden South Supervisory Union (3:30 PM)

 

3:45 PM                   H. 542 - An act relating to terminating testing of schools in Vermont for polychlorinated biphenyls

Mark-up

Michael O'Grady, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel - Invited

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

1:30 PM                   Adult Education and Literacy Advocacy Day

Joe Przyperhart, Director of Programs, Vermont Adult Learning

Witness TBA, Student

 

2:00 PM                   H. 930 - An act relating to addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism

Witness Testimony

Heather Hobart, Executive Director, Lamoille Restorative Center

Katie Black, Program Director, Lamoille Restorative Center

Heather Freeman, Director of Student Support Services, Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union

 

2:30 PM                   TBA

 

3:00 PM                   Improving Literacy Outcomes

Zoie Saunders, Secretary, Agency of Education - Invited

 

Friday, April 17, 2026

11:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

1:15 PM                   Community Schools

Update on Statewide Implementation

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

Jess DeCarolis, M.A., M.Ed., Board Member, Friends of Vermont Public Education

 

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