Preserving Schools and School Choice Under Vermont Act 153

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RECENT NEWS:

The State Board of Education met on December 20, 2011. Part of the discussion centered on the recommendation of legislative changes to Act 153. Please see the Task Force recommendations here.

Also presented was a document that covers the status of RED discussions throughout the state. You can view a PDF version of that here. 


From VTDigger.com:

"Incentives are unlikely to sway those whose communities now offer school choice, said Kirsch and Collins.

“I support the RED, I think the concept is good,’ Collins said. “I’m not sure it was thoroughly thought out. If I was living in a town that was seeking a RED but would lose school choice, I’d vote against it.”

Kirsch said the he does not believe the RED initiative will gain widespread support statewide as long as school choice is lost to the regional district. Both agreed that allowing school choice in all communities might encourage consolidation.

“I think if the legislators take [Act 153] back and modify it, it will encourage a sharing and consolidation of services,” he said."

*Ned Kirsch
Superintendent, Franklin West SU

*Donald Collins
Member, State Board of Education
The Vermont Legislature created Act 153 in May 2010. Act 153 (also known as H.66) is a wide ranging bill covering everything from school district consolidation to a study of full scale-vouchers, to significant changes in the duties of superintendents and responsibilities of supervisory unions, and more.

The purpose of this site is to present you with information about preserving school choice, and helping communities, school boards and select boards explore ALL options for keeping their local schools.
Your community may have options beyond what the experts and consultants are telling you about Act 153, the formation of Regional Educational Districts (REDs), preserving small schools, and school choice in Vermont.

We hope you will share what you learn here with others and help create a collaborative environment among your community's most motivated citizens and leaders.

Is your community documenting their Act 153 process? Let us know so we can link to your blog or online documents.