Town Meeting Report from Reps. Torre & White
March 15, 2025 | By Reps. Dara Torre and Candice White We enjoyed seeing many of you at Town Meeting last week, and are grateful to the many neighbors who work tirelessly to keep our towns running efficiently. Below is an update we shared at Town Meeting regarding priorities of the legislative session thus far.
The Vermont General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session kicked off on Jan. 8. During the first week, House members took the oath of office, elected Rep. Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, as Speaker of the House, attended a joint assembly to hear Gov. Phil Scott’s address, and received committee assignments for the 2025-26 biennium.
Dara was elected clerk of the newly created Committee on House Energy and Digital Infrastructure that considers matters relating to energy, utilities, telecommunications, broadband, information technology, and cybersecurity. Candice is serving on the House Transportation Committee that oversees the Agency of Transportation and its management of Vermont’s highways, bridges, rail, air, bike/pedestrian infrastructure.
EDUCATION REFORM
Education reform is a top priority for Vermont. We need to build a new funding system that’s fair and easier to understand. We need to streamline the way we govern and organize our school systems statewide. And above all, we need to offer all students a high-quality education at a rate taxpayers can afford.
On Jan. 22, Gov. Scott delivered his high-level “Stronger Students, Stronger Schools” reform proposal to a joint House-Senate assembly, followed by a 176-page bill submitted on Feb. 25. Highlights of his plan include:
Consolidating from 119 school districts to five large regional districts, overseen by one school board, each with local advisory teams; streamlining administration.
Moving away from local budgets — developed by school boards, approved by voters, and funded by the legislature when we set the necessary tax rates — to a “foundation formula” in which the state sets an adequate level of per-pupil spending.
Shifting school closure decisions away from school boards to a state assessment based on financial viability and educational quality.Establishing minimum classroom sizes; standardizing graduation requirements
Both the House Education and Ways and Means Committees have been taking extensive testimony since January to understand the governor’s proposals, build out a daunting list of details, and try to find a path that works for Vermont.
The House will pass a bill in late March or early April. This bill will then move to the Senate for another full round of testimony, debate and revision. The details of the plan, particularly the financial projections, must show significant savings before we head down this path of multi-year reform.
As legislators, we must balance voters’ demand for property-tax relief against the values many of us cherish, including local control and support for preK-12 public schools that are the souls of our community. We need to hear from you. Please reach out and attend our Education Reform Discussion at Harwood Union High School, on March 24, 6-8 p.m.
State Reps. Dara Torre, D-Moretown, and Candice White, D-Waitsfield, represent the Washington-2 House district that covers Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren.