Legislative leaders have appointed 11 lawmakers and education officials to the School Redistricting Task Force to craft new school district boundaries for Vermont’s public education system.
The task force was created by H.454, now called Act 73, the sweeping education reform bill that Gov. Phil Scott signed into law this month. Six lawmakers and five former superintendents and school business managers have been appointed to the task force.
The appointees plan to work to consolidate Vermont’s 119 school districts — contained within the 52 supervisory districts or supervisory unions — into anywhere from 10 to 25 future districts.
These new larger districts would oversee a minimum of 4,000 prekindergarten through grade 12 students, but no more than 8,000 students “to the extent practical,” according to the law.
Three lawmakers and two former school officials were nominated by Senate and House leadership, while one member was appointed by Scott.
One day after signing the education reform bill into law, Scott appointed Dave Wolk, the former state senator and the longtime president of Castleton University, to serve as his lone appointee on the task force.
Wolk has previously served as a principal at both Barstow Memorial School and Rutland High School, and the superintendent of schools in Rutland City.
Scott said in a press release that Wolk’s experience in education and the Legislature “will bring an important perspective to this work and will prioritize what’s best for our kids.”
Wolk said in the release that he plans to “approach the Task Force with an open mind, knowing that the results of the endeavor are not likely to be popular or widely embraced across the state.”
“But it is important work, with a short timeline, and it must be done thoughtfully, with a focus on what is best for all of our students and educators, as well as Vermont taxpayers,” Wolk said. “It will be very challenging but very necessary, for the benefit of Vermont.”
This week, leadership from the House and Senate announced their own picks.
The Senate Committee on Committees — composed of Sens. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, and Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, along with Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers — appointed Dr. Jennifer Botzojorns, a retired superintendent for the Kingdom East School District, and Chris Locarno, a retired director of finance and facilities for the Central Vermont Supervisory Union.
Senate leadership also appointed Sens. Scott Beck, R-Caledonia; Martine Gulick, D-Chittenden Central; and Wendy Harrison, D-Windham to the task force.
“I look forward to working with colleagues to create an educational landscape that is right-sized and provides equity within a thriving public education system,” Gulick said.
Beck, the Republican minority leader, was one of three senators who along with three House members helped craft the final contours of H.454 before being sent to Scott.
He’s drawn the ire from public education advocates for his association with private schools, called independent schools under state law. (Beck is a teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy).
Last month, Beck and Sen. Seth Bongartz were accused in ethics complaints of using their positions to advance provisions that benefited the private schools they are associated with.
In a press release, Beck said he was looking forward to “this important work and providing Vermont students from all corners of Vermont with an excellent education.”
On Tuesday, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, announced her appointment of Reps. Edye Graning, D-Chittenden-3; Beth Quimby, R-Caledonia-2; and Rebecca Holcombe, D-Windsor Orange-2, to the task force.
Krowinski also appointed Jay Badams, a former superintendent, and Kim Gleason, a former school board member.
Krowsinki, announcing her appointments in a press release, said the task force “is an important step in building a public education system that is more equitable, more sustainable and more responsive to the needs of students and communities.”
Gleason, a former member of the State Board of Education, said she was grateful for the opportunity “to represent the important voices of school boards in governance and community engagement as these systemic changes in the Vermont education landscape are being considered.”
During its first meeting later this summer, the task force plans to select two co-chairs from among its members — one from the House and one from the Senate.
The body is then expected to finalize and deliver new school district maps to the Legislature by Dec. 1. Lawmakers then expect to take up the new maps for consideration during next year’s session, which begins in January.
