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March 13, 2025
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thecitizenvt.com
School officials talk over education plan BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Despite the difficulty of waking up the Monday morning after daylight savings begins, Champlain Valley School District’s board and local legislators met in the high school library at 7:30 a.m. for their annual legislative breakfast. Over the course of about an hour and a half, the discussion focused almost entirely on Gov. Phil Scott’s new education plan, which aims to consolidate the state’s 119 school districts into five large districts and transition Vermont to a foundation formula for school funding. The governor’s stated goal is to cut $180 million in education funding. As proposed, the foundation formula would assign $13,200 as a base amount per student and then weigh per-pupil funding in relation to other factors such as economic disadvantage or specific services. Among the critiques and questions posed Monday morning in response to the governor’s proposal, one call was repeated by both directors and legislators: they want Scott, who wants to enact his proposal by 2028, to slow down. “I’m worried that, in the rush to claim some victory in this big quagmire, funding change will actually precede or overshadow what is in many ways more important, which is the quality of education that we are endeavoring to provide to every student in
the state,” said Rep. Angela Arsenault, D-Williston, who stepped down from the CVSD board this year. Arsenault said focusing on education quality would take much longer than the governor’s current timeline and involve ongoing conversations with educators, students, and other stakeholders. While there was some consensus and understanding that fewer school districts might ultimately make sense for the state, representatives and directors alike puzzled over the immediate focus on drawing maps, citing a need to first assess student and district needs before drawing lines. Rep. Erin Brady, D-Williston, vice chair the House Committee on Education, claimed hearing the governor and consultants saying they were building a system from scratch, from the ground up, and saying the process was fun. “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve heard,” she said. “It is not fun, and it is not like we’re creating it from scratch. Schools exist. Kids are walking in the door right now. The whole system is functioning and has to continue to function.” Brady referenced several steps she thought should be taken before a complete overhaul of the system, starting with data collection. For Brady, that includes looking at where school populations are growing, where they’re See EDUCATION on page 3
PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
David Allen and Brandon Mansfield with the Russell Farm talk all thing syrup. Allen’s sap concentrate is boiled at Russell Farm.
Maple syrup makers deal with federal uncertainties LIBERTY DARR & BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITERS
Steven Palmer of Shelburne Sugarworks had already been in conversation with CDL, a Canadian company, about purchasing a new $30,000 reverse osmosis machine for his business when President
Donald Trump announced his plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports. When Palmer heard about the tariffs, he knew he had to move fast. “When the tariff discussion started happening, I was on the phone with those guys going, ‘OK, listen, yeah, it’s like 8,000 or 9,000
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additional dollars, right? It’s a big deal. So, let’s figure it out. Can you guys make sure you can get it down here before the tariffs go into effect?’” he recalled. Palmer was able to get his See MAPLE SYRUP on page 12 258 Market Street & Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
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