§ 161. State Board of Education; appointment of members; term; vacancy
The State Board shall consist of 10 members. Two of the members shall be secondary
students, one of whom shall be a full member and the other of whom shall be a junior
member who may not vote. Eight members, including the two student members, shall be
appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. One member shall
be appointed by the Speaker of the House and one member shall be appointed by the
Senate Committee on Committees. In the appointment of the nonstudent members, priority
shall be given to the selection of persons with a demonstrated commitment to ensuring
quality education for Vermont students. To the extent possible, the members shall
represent the State’s geographic, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. The Secretary
shall serve on the State Board as a nonvoting member.
(1) Upon the expiration of the respective terms of those members of the Board previously
appointed, excluding the student members, the appointing authority that made the initial
appointment to the expired term shall, biennially in the month of February with the
advice and consent of the Senate, as applicable, appoint members for terms of six
years. The terms shall begin March 1 of the year in which the appointments are made.
A member serving a term of six years shall not be eligible for reappointment for successive
terms.
(2) In the event of any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Board, the appointing
authority that made the initial appointment to the vacated term shall fill the vacancy
with a qualified person whose appointment shall be for the unexpired portion of the
term.
(3) Biennially, the Board shall choose a member of the Board to be its chair.
(4) Annually, using an application process that is open and accessible to all eligible
students, the Governor shall appoint a Vermont secondary school student who will continue
to be a secondary student for at least two years following taking office, to serve
on the State Board for two years, beginning on July 1 of the year of appointment.
The student member shall not vote during the first year and shall be a full and voting
member during the second year of the student’s term. (Added 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 12; amended 1975, No. 48, § 2, eff. date, at end of chair’s term; 1997, No. 34, § 1; 1999, No. 74 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. March 27, 2000; 2011, No. 98 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 52; 2021, No. 66, § 19, eff. June 7, 2021; 2025, No. 73, § 24, eff. July 1, 2025.)