April 16, 2025

Hello,

This week was all about the big education reform bill, H454, which passed the House on Friday. The Education and Ways and Means Committees worked extremely hard on this bill in a methodical and thoughtful manner. It is a comprehensive and measured plan to promote educational equity across the state, rationalize the funding mechanisms and to moderate property tax increases in the future.

Details:

https://ljfo.vermont.gov/subjects/education/h-454-education-transformation-bill-materials

https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-04-11/capitol-recap-with-shaky-support-an-education-reform-bill-passes-the-house

I was deeply conflicted about this vote. While I support much of what was in this bill, I ended up voting against it for the following reasons:

·         It does not go far enough to lower taxes, which was the original impetus for us to engage in this work.

·         It does not have enough protections for independent schools. In any statewide reform effort the pain will have to be shared, and independent schools should not be excluded from this. However, this bill simply does not have enough protections for the survival of independent schools in our region.

·         The bill’s class size minimums would impact rural schools across our region dramatically. While there is a mechanism for a waiver from non-compliance, the definitions are not set, and therefore uncertain. It is a broad brush approach which does not take into account cost and performance standards which might make a school viable. And it greatly reduces local control. That said, some schools clearly need to close for us to improve educational outcomes and drive down costs.

·         While I appreciate the House’s go-slow approach (implementation would roll out over 4 years), I would like to see a bit more urgency given what is going on at the federal level. Unfortunately, the Scott administration has gutted the talent and manpower of the Agency of Education which will have to play a major role in the transition process. So, there is urgency to bolster the Agency.

All that said, it is good that H454 passed the House because now it can be worked on in the Senate and our education reform process can continue. The Senate has a very different view of the path forward. There is a long way to go before anything becomes law! We will know a lot more in 6 weeks.

An even bigger issue is our health care system and the  Federal cuts which are potentially coming.  There are two areas of concern:

1.      The Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace - During 2024, 29,107 Vermont residents enrolled in a plan through the marketplace. Enrollment in the state has increased by 18% since 2020. About 91% of enrollees in the state received an advanced premium tax credit to help them pay their premium. This is set to expire at the end of the year and seems unlikely to be renewed.

2.      Medicaid – the current budget being discussed in Washington will cut Medicaid, maybe drastically. For context, Vermont spends about $2 Billion/year on Medicaid with the federal government picking up about 65% of the costs. (For data on health  care costs in Vermont: https://www.kff.org/statedata/election-state-fact-sheets/vermont/  ) Medicaid pays for Dr. Dinosaur, the popular program to support children and families in Vermont.  

It is likely that the Legislature will have to convene a special session in the summer or fall, once we know the landscape of the cuts, to re-assess the state budget in light of the circumstances. Vermont’s budget consists of 36% federal money – this is about to change.

It is an honor to serve this district in the Vermont Legislature.

Thank you and keep in touch,

Chris Morrow

cmorrow@leg.state.vt.us