Your Voice in Vermont Education!

After a whirlwind finish to last week's activities in the Vermont Senate, progress on H.454 has been made toward the benefit of our students and taxpayers. While there still is work to do, Governor Scott has flatly stated he will veto anything that doesn't reduce costs. This is short-sighted, at best. Last November, Vermonters did not mandate tearing down our public education system, but rather they sent a clear message that we need relief from our property tax burdens.

Funding is only one aspect of the three being looked at to improve our education system, along with our governance structure and, most importantly, quality. We at Friends of Vermont Public Education understand this, as do members of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont. To help lift the voices of all Vermonters, the Commission has engaged a communications group to gather public input from throughout the state through virtual sessions.

Let your voice be heard by signing up for one of these sessions - there are currently two scheduled for the last week in May, and one in June. The links below can also be found at the Vermont Agency of Education's website by clicking on "State Boards and Councils", and going from there to the Commission on the Future's page:

Wednesday, May 28th from 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

https://aftonpartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/BvkxKtpoQlOhfKe1Td7kOw#/registration

Thursday, May 29th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

https://aftonpartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/ka49cS4PT-WTXUCxukfyWg#/registration

Wednesday, June 11th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

https://aftonpartners.zoom.us/meeting/register/V9V1AMVSTSWt9UFxTVfHsQ

Join one of these sessions to inform future legislation. Call Governor Scott and urge him not to undo the hard work done by the Agency, the Commission, the House, and the Senate with his red pen. There are various proposals to make our education funding system more equitable, but we cannot erase the progress that has already been made in a very short time by decoupling that aspect from governance and quality.