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July 2, 2025
H.454 is now law
On July 1, Governor Phil Scott signed H.454 into law, a far reaching education overhaul passed under pressure. The bill lacked majority support from Senate Democrats and only passed with Republican votes. In the House, it quickly passed on a voice vote, leaving no public record of where members stood.
The process revealed how deeply private school interests shaped public policy. Two Senate conferees, Seth Bongartz and Scott Beck, now face formal ethics complaints filed by Friends of Vermont Public Education board member Geo Honigford. Bongartz, a longtime private school board chair and paid consultant, fought to protect funding for his former client. Beck, a teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy, pushed for carve-outs that benefit his employer and reduce oversight.
Despite promises of transformation, the bill delivers no cost savings, no consistent rules, and no accountability. It preserves a system where private schools receiving public funds can select students, dismiss them without cause, bypass education standards, and avoid public reporting. No independent oversight exists to enforce the rules.
This contradicts Vermont’s Constitution, which guarantees public education for all and requires state resources to serve the common good. H.454 failed that test.
Supporters now highlight a patchwork of “off ramps.” But a bill that needs that many escape routes is not serious reform.
Senate Democratic leadership backed the bill but couldn’t secure a majority: 7 voted yes, 10 voted no. In the House, there’s no record at all. That’s not accountability. That’s not good governance.
July 1 was a difficult day for public education in Vermont. But this fight isn’t over. Friends of Vermont Public Education will keep working to ensure that any school receiving public dollars follows public rules, serves all students, and answers to Vermonters.
Our Mission
Friends of Vermont Public Education (FVPE) is dedicated to protecting and strengthening Vermont’s public schools. We advocate for clear accountability and transparency wherever public education dollars are spent. Any school receiving taxpayer funds should be held to the same standards and serve the public good, as required by Vermont’s Constitution.
The Board of Directors
Geo Honigford, South Royalton
Adrienne Raymond, Shrewsbury
Ken Fredette, Wallingford
Kim Gleason, Grand Isle
Greg Hughes, Bethel
Krista Huling, Cambridge
Neil Odell, Norwich
Latest Updates
Jul 1, 2025
Vermont Public - Ethics complaint targets 2 Vermont senators with private school ties
Geo Honigford, a member of the advocacy group Friends of Vermont Public Education, filed his complaint with the Senate Ethics Panel on Monday. It claims Sens. Seth Bongartz and Scott Beck, who played a key role crafting the sweeping education reform bill H. 454, violated state conflict of interest rules in their advocacy for private schools.
Jun 30, 2025
VTDigger - Complaints allege Vermont senators with private school ties violated ethics rules during education bill negotiations
Ethics complaints filed with the Vermont Senate against Sens. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, and Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, allege they used their positions on a critical committee negotiating the final form of a wide-ranging education bill to advance provisions that benefited the private schools they are associated with.
Jun 30, 2025
Northeast Ohio school officials cheer judge's ruling private school vouchers unconstitutional
More than 300 school districts joined the Vouchers Hurt Ohio Schools lawsuit, which argued that Ohio's system of providing more than $1 billion in funding each year to pay for parents to send their students to private schools was unconstitutional and furthered segregation.
