Search Results for 'Commission on the Future of Public Education'
News Analysis: What’s the future for the commission on the Future of Public Education?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Scott administration unveiled its plan – at least a rough sketch of a plan – for fixing all the problems of Vermont’s education system with a 45 minute slideshow by Agency of Education Secretary Zoie Saunders. And, depending on who you’re listening to, it […]
Op-ed: Do Vermonters want radical change in education?
By Jack Hoffman Now that the state House of Representatives has passed an education reform plan, it will be easy to get bogged down in the minutiae that differentiate it from Gov. Phil Scott’s “Education Transformation Proposal.” But before Vermonters get lost in the weeds debating these proposals, they might want to ask themselves if […]
Side by Side: Scott education plans past and present
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the eight years that Gov. Phil Scott has been in office, his administration has produced two reports on reforming education in Vermont. These reports that are strikingly similar in conclusions, but very different in their origins. One was said to be the result of public input […]
Op-ed: Be brave little state, defend public education
By John Castle Gov. Phil Scott has provided his shock and aw-shucks proposal for rescuing taxpayers and claiming to improve education along the way. Finding renewed hubris with the “red wave” of new Republicans in the State House and Democrats running scared, Gov. Scott is seizing the opportunity with a misguided overhaul of our public […]
Scott’s ed plan gets pushback at Future of Ed Commission meeting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Zoie Saunders has had some bumpy days since moving to Vermont from Florida to take over the state’s Agency of Education. And Monday will go down as yet another one. During meetings of the State Board of Education and the Commission on the Future of Public Education […]
With legislature under way, Gov. Scott sets tone and Education Commission seeks path forward
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC With its interim report submitted and the holidays in the rear view mirror, the commission tasked with looking at the future of Vermont’s education system was getting down to looking at the work ahead on Jan. 6. Then, Gov. Phil Scott and the Democratic majority leaders in […]
Future of Ed panel wrestles over report to legislature
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC We can only improve the lives of kids and taxpayers if we are all rowing in the same direction,” said Emilie Kornheiser, who chairs the Commission on the Future of Education’s finance subcommittee, at its Dec. 9 meeting. The topic was what form the upcoming report to […]
Preliminary Future of Ed report set to offer many options, but make no recommendations Rep. Conlon goes off script claiming 'strong policy proposals'; 5.9% tax increase predicted in Dec. 1 letter
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC There were two takeaways from Monday’s meeting of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont. The commission was given the charge to look at the education system as a whole – including funding it – with a final report due in December 2025 and […]
Update on the Future: No silver bullets to cutting costs
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC As school districts are working on their 2025-26 budgets, the deadline for the preliminary report from the state Commission on the Future of Public Education’s — including short term cost containment strategies — is fast approaching. The message from recent subcommittee meetings is that it’s complicated and […]
To the editor: ‘Friends’ group seeks to protect Vermont public schools
Be informed. In early spring this year a small group of longtime school board members – most former, one current – got together to talk about pushing back against the steady attacks on our public schools, which are also longtime. We decided to start a grassroots effort, calling ourselves Friends of Vermont Public Education. Our […]
Future of Education to hold first ‘public engagement’ session on Oct. 21
The Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont will hold its first public engagement session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday Oct. 21 at the Randolph Union Middle High School, 15 Forest Street in Randolph. This will be the first of many such sessions to be held across the state over […]
Future of Education panel sets first public input session for Oct. 21 Commenter asks to make education jargon understandable
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont will hold its first in-person public feedback session from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21 at the Randolph High School/Technical & Career Center, 17 Forest St. in Randolph. It will be preceded by a full […]
Education finance panel brainstorms cost containment
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Education Finance subcommittee of Vermont’s Commission on the Future of Public Education met for the second time on Monday. In the first two hours of a three and a half hour meeting, the committee received presentations by the Agency of Education and the Vermont Tax Department. […]
Future of Education panel narrows focus to engagement, short-term cost containment
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two months into its work, the commission that’s charged with looking at the future of public education in Vermont is preparing to hold the first of a series of public sessions on Oct. 21, with a venue still to be identified. The sessions are intended to solicit […]
State education commission members may not ‘fully represent Vermont,’ chair says Calls for 'good faith' efforts to bring other voices to the table
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the second meeting of the full Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont covered agenda items in detail, one thread ran through the three-hour meeting: public representation, engagement and credibility. Even before the meeting’s agenda and previous meeting’s minutes were approved, commission chair Meagan […]
Ed Commission creates group to fix school financing Hears public criticism of members' 'hidden agenda'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the third meeting out of 30 budgeted by the Vermont legislature, about half of the members of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont assembled as the “steering group” on Monday and got down to making some decisions on how their work will […]
The Future of Public Education in Vt. – a big lift on short time
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Toward the end of this year’s session, the Vermont legislature passed a bill – H-887, also known as the “yield bill” which made adjustments to rein in tax increase for this year by finding other sources of income. It also established a commission to recommend fixes problems […]
Chester planning panel kicks off zoning rewrite with first public workshop
By Shawn Cunningham © 2002 Telegraph Publishing LLC In preparation for a new re-write of the town’s zoning regulations — known as the Unified Development Bylaws — the Chester Planning Commission held the first of several workshops with consultant Jason Rasmussen Monday night. Rasmussen is the executive director of the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, which […]
State: Chester must reappraise, future ed tax hikes likely
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Perhaps one of the driest items on the Chester Select Board agenda last Wednesday could have the greatest impact in the future, while the town officer who understands the system it is a part of will be leaving before the work will begin. Lister Wanda Purdy told […]
In Chester 3-year race, Lindsay and Cote talk town future
©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two candidates are running for one three-year term on the Chester Select Board. Incumbent Bill Lindsay is seeking re-election and Dan Cote is hoping to unseat him when elections are held on Tuesday, March 1. As we have done for previous contested races, The Chester Telegraph asked the candidates a set […]
