Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education released assessment and accountability results from the 2024–2025 school year. The release includes the Vermont State Report Card, assessment results, school accountability ratings, and the list of schools identified for Comprehensive and Targeted Support and Improvement. Across Vermont, student proficiency in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science remains well below the state’s long-term goals under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ELA proficiency rates ranged from 46% to 61% across grades. In math, there was a notable decrease of 3 percentage points among 3rd graders. Overall, math proficiency rates remained lower than ELA, ranging from 33% to 48% across grades. In science, proficiency rates remained steady, ranging from 41% to 45% across grades. There also continues to be significant achievement gaps between students from historically marginalized backgrounds and their peers.

Vermont Business Magazine Dairies and ice cream makers. Breweries and furniture builders. Hospitals and colleges. Some of Vermont’s most recognizable businesses have saved energy and cut costs through Efficiency Vermont's rebates for custom projects. Now, for a limited time, any Vermont business can double their rebate—up to $25,000—if they finish a custom project by the end of November. Custom projects are tailored to meet each business’s unique needs and goals. This ensures businesses install the most efficient equipment and make the most cost-effective facility improvements.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources invites the public to participate in developing a new long-range management plan (LRMP) for Jamaica State Park. An in-person public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, launching a month-long opportunity for the public to learn about the property and provide input. The comment period will remain open until Friday, April 3, 2026. Jamaica State Park covers an area of 1,118 acres across the towns of Jamaica and Londonderry in Vermont’s Southern Green Mountains.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Green Building Network’s (VGBN) fourteenth annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards Competition is now open for submissions. This statewide competition recognizes exemplary residential and commercial buildings that excel in green building strategies – including water, health, transportation, and affordability – and meet the highest standard of demonstrated energy performance. Submissions are due on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 5 pm EST. Winners of the awards will be announced and showcased at VGBN’s annual Vermont Green Building Celebration, which will take place on April 9, 2026, at Main Street Landing in Burlington, Vermont.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $300 per gallon, up 1 cent/g from last week, up 2 cents/g from last month and down 14 cents/g from this time a year ago. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.92/g today. The national average is up 10 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 24 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. And as gas prices rise, fill up on Sunday and not on Thursday in Vermont, which is the case in most states.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT-NDCAP) will hold its first regular meeting of 2026 on Monday evening February 23, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM.  The primary purpose of this meeting will be the Panel’s review and approval of its 2025 Annual Report to the Vermont Legislature and Governor.  

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 13 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful decision to terminate funding for congressionally mandated energy and infrastructure programs. The lawsuit challenges the decisions by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to terminate billions of dollars in energy and infrastructure awards nationwide, including in Vermont, which stands to lose out on more than $3 million awarded to the University of Vermont (UVM). The complaint alleges that the unlawful decision to eliminate energy programs created by Congress violates the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act. The coalition asks the court to permanently stop the Administration from interfering with these programs. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development is launching a new Small-Scale Developer Training Program to help Vermonters build the skills they need to create housing in their own communities. These efforts are part of the state’s broader Homes for All initiative, which connects training, technical assistance and ready-to-use housing tools into one coordinated pathway.

Vermont League of Cities & Towns Given the constrained state budget this year, we thought lawmakers might be open to discussing municipal revenue streams, and, oh boy, are they ever. The good news is that some committees are open to exploring new non-property tax revenue ideas. The bad news is that the appropriations committees are discussing new ways to spend local monies. In this Weekly Legislative Report, we discuss proposed appropriations from the Opioid Abatement Fund and PILOT Special Fund, announce a new proposed municipal revenue authority for town road spending, and provide an update on the ongoing debate about the timing for implementing Act 181.

by Frank Cioffi Last week, Vermont Public highlighted the success of Governor Scott’s “accountability court” in Chittenden County and its potential for replication in other parts of the state. We should all be celebrating that the court has not only moved through over 75 percent of backlogged cases, but has also connected people with social services related to housing, mental health, and addiction. But the impact of the Governor’s short-term action plan for Burlington, launched just over 100 days ago, reaches much further. For the first time in years, there is restored confidence among the business community in downtown Burlington and a cautious feeling of hope that the city has turned a corner.

FreshTracks Capital Peak Pitch 2026, to be held at Sugarbush Resort on Tuesday March 10, is now open for registration. Presented by FreshTracks, Peak Pitch, which is Vermont’s longest-running start-up business pitch event, brings aspiring entrepreneurs and investors together for a unique version of the classic "elevator pitch." At this unique event, a shared chairlift ride gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business plans to venture capitalists, individual investors, commercial lenders and other entrepreneurial advisors during a day of skiing and snowboarding at Sugarbush. FreshTracks has invested in more than 50 local companies, helping to grow these businesses, creating new jobs, and supporting economic growth in the region. FreshTracks has found several of its investments at Peak Pitch over the years and looks forward to meeting more at this fun and popular pitch and networking event.

Vermont State Police An autopsy was completed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The Vermont State Police is able to identify the person who died as Jeremy Kawalec, 25, of Corinth. The medical examiner determined the cause of Kawalec’s death was “gunshot wound to head,” and the manner of death is listed as pending. Further investigation by detectives into this incident has determined that the death is not suspicious. VSP has no additional information to share regarding this case.