Paying More. Getting Less. Losing Choice.
Act 73 Signals a Quiet Takeover of Vermont Education
February 20, 2026
Absolutely, we need to provide education property tax relief to Vermonters. But let’s tell the whole truth.
Vermont spends nearly $27,000 per student — among the highest in the nation — yet performs around the national average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or the National Report Card. Mississippi spends roughly half as much but ranks near the top in 4th-grade reading and leads the nation in recent gains. Testing also shows that roughly half of Vermont students are not meeting proficiency standards and about 30% are chronically absent.
Did you know…
~ Vermont State law now mandates new district lines and the House Education Committee’s current proposal would collapse Vermont into just 27 mega-districts with K-12 public schools in them, pulling decision-making even farther away from voters, communities, families, and students
~ Once these district lines are drawn, school choice ends impacting roughly 100 towns, dismantling a 150-year Vermont tradition of educational independence.
~ Committee discussions openly hinted that cost savings will eventually come from closing and consolidating small elementary schools — even though lawmakers know families will resist. How long should a five- or six-year-old sit on a bus in rural Vermont to make an accounting spreadsheet balance?
~ Larger districts will be forced to assign students to buildings to manage minimum and maximum class sizes. Families who once chose to live in a town based on the school will soon be limited to 27 bureaucratic regions — and will they now be told which school their child will go to.
~ There is a new Federal tax credit available January 2027. Taxpayers can donate $1700 to a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) anywhere in the country and receive a full federal tax credit. Students in families earning up to 300% of median income qualify for the scholarship. But Vermont lawmakers want to block these SGOs from operating in Vermont thus shutting Vermont students out of these scholarships. Vermont taxpayers can fund scholarships for students in other states just not in Vermont. Does that make any sense to you?
Public education is not just about public schools but the public funding OF public AND independent schools
Vermonters the time to act is NOW!
- PLEASE email House Education Committee members and tell them how you feel by going to https://www.edwatchvt.org/email_legislators or scan QR code for instructions. This is easy to do and will make a big impact if many do this step.
- Sign up for the EdWatch email list to get updates from EdWatch. This email list does not send many emails and it is NOT a newsletter. https://www.edwatchvt.org/join
EdWatch Vermont is a nonprofit organization advocating for educational opportunity, accountable spending, and student-centered policy in the Green Mountain State, serving as a voice for Vermonters who feel unheard on education issues. To stay informed, consider joining our email list. https://www.edwatchvt.org/join. Or contact us at https://www.edwatchvt.org/contact
~Thank you!
