LAWS & REGULATIONS:
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE:
SEC. H.57: COMMITTEE ON THE FINANCING AND EFFECTIVENESS
OF THE VERMONT EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE 21ST CENTURY
(Updated 8/29/12)

The Committee on the Financing & Effectiveness of the Vermont Education System in the 21st Century required the Education Commissioner to convene a meeting by July 30, 2009, "to examine potential improvements to the structure and funding of the Vermont educational system in light of the state’s limited financial resources." View the complete text of Act 1 of Special Session 2009, an Act Making Appropriations for the Support of Government.

• Committee Members
• Resources (includes the Final Report)

View resources related to the Committee's task.

• Final Report: Act 1, Sec. H57 (2009 Special Session): Report of the Committee on the Financing and Effectiveness of the Vermont Education System in the 21st Century (January 2010)
  

• Background
  • Act 1 of Special Session 2009, an Act Making Appropriations for the Support of Government (PDF)
  • Per Pupil Spending by Type
  • Funding Vermont School Districts (April 2009)
  • Master District List
  • Snelling Center's Summary of Observations: School Governance
  • 2007 Report on Act 82, Section 19: An Act Relating to Education Quality and Cost Control
    • Appendix D: Educational Governance in the United States - A 2007 Report

• From Committee Members:
  • Commissioner Vilaseca shares Ideas to Improve Accountability for Education in Vermont from Wendy Wilton, Rutland City Treasurer
  • Commissioner Vilaseca - Rutland City School District: Some Thoughts on Consolidation Incentives
  • June Rosenberg: This communication has been received from John Fike, veteran chairperson of Windsor Central Supervisory Union, Reading Board of Education, and a Reading Lister
  • June Rosenberg: This communication has been received from Tom Vickery, veteran Assessor and Lister for the towns of Duxbury, Stowe, and Waterbury
  • Bill Mathis – The “Perfect” Education Finance System
  • Susan Bartlett – The Perfect School System for 2010 and Beyond
  • Bill Talbott – September 1 Meeting Handout on the Duties of the Electorate, School Boards, Supervisory Unions and the State Board of Education
  • Carolyn Schwalbe E-mail of September 3, 2009
    Suggested reference materials
    • Act 60/68/130
    • Act 82
    • Commissioner Cate's White Paper
    • Commissioner Cate's "Conversation Agenda"
      Includes organization charts and a concise description of the current governance structure
  • Carolyn Schwalbe – Project STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) Study
    Opinions of the validity and usefulness of the study vary, but please note that "Small Class Size" is defined as 13-17 students, Regular as 22-26, and Regular with one teacher and an aide as 22-26 pupils. The project studied primary/elementary school students. There are many other links to this study:
    • Class Size: Project Star (PDF)
    • Science-Based Parenting: The Politics of Reduced Class Size
    • Class Size: Counting Students Can Count (PDF)
    • Evidence From Project STAR About Class Size and Student Achievement
  • Commissioner Vilaseca – Birth Rate w/Projections
  • June Rosenberg – NYT article: Bits - Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom

• From Interested Parties:
  • Dover School Board Letter to the Commissioner & the Committee (dated 9/21/09)
  • Daniel French – Transforming Vermont's System of Public Education
  • John Everitt - A Report of the Business-Education Alliance: Vision, Goals, and Governance in Vermont’s Public Education System (PDF)
  • James and Margie Blansfield – Letter to the Committee
  • Peter Fisher – Talking School Funding
  • Frank Wingate:
    • EFTF Cost Containment (Hugh Kemper)
    • Vermont K12 Public Education Base Case for Resource Management and Cost Containment (Hugh Kemper)

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