Vermont Business Magazine Public education advocates gathered at the Statehouse Thursday to demand greater accountability and transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used in Vermont’s education system.
The event was organized by Friends of Vermont Public Education (FVPE), a newly formed nonprofit committed to protecting and strengthening Vermont’s public schools. Speakers raised concerns over the current system, which allows taxpayer money to flow to private schools without oversight or accountability. They warned that Governor Scott’s proposed statewide voucher program would only make a bad situation worse.
“Affordability and accountability go hand in hand," said Neil Odell, a founding board member of FVPE. "Without oversight, taxpayer money can be spent inefficiently, with little accountability for student outcomes or fiscal responsibility. FVPE’s mission is to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent transparently and equitably, and that any private school receiving public funds is held to the same standards as public schools."
"Public education is a social compact, an agreement enshrined in our constitution," said Jess DeCarolis, former division director at the Vermont Agency of Education. "That compact is being eroded. Public dollars already flow to private schools with little oversight, and now we are being asked to expand a system that lacks transparency and accountability. That is a fundamental problem that must be addressed."
Geo Honigford, another FVPE board member, criticized the administration’s rollout of their education proposal. "The governor had plenty of time to develop a clear, well-thought-out plan," he said. "Instead, we’re getting piecemeal changes, drip by drip, making it harder for legislators and Vermonters to see the full impact."
Studies from education policy organizations show that states like Indiana and Arizona saw massive cost increases after expanding voucher programs, with costs rising by hundreds of millions of dollars. Expanding public funding for private schools has repeatedly led to unexpected budget overruns, increased taxpayer burdens, and strained state education budgets.
"Public money should serve the public good," said Krista Huling, Vermont public school educator and former chair of the Vermont State Board of Education. "Right now, private schools take public dollars while picking and choosing who they serve, operating without the same financial transparency as public schools, and facing fewer oversight requirements. Any school receiving taxpayer money must be accountable to the same rules as public schools."
FVPE is calling on lawmakers to reject further expansion of unregulated public funding for private schools and instead focus on policies that ensure Vermont’s public education system is fair, transparent, and accountable.
Armando Vilaseca, Vermont’s last Commissioner of Education and first Secretary of Education, offered his thoughts on the current system and the governor’s proposal. "I was there when Vermont shifted from a Department to an Agency of Education, moving oversight from the State Board to the governor’s office,” he said. “That change was meant to improve coordination and accountability, not weaken public education as it seems to have done. The problem is not just the governor’s new proposal, as bad as it is. It’s that we already have a system without clear accountability for private schools using public dollars. That needs to change now."
Friends of Vermont Public Education is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that public education funding in Vermont is distributed in accordance with state and federal constitutional principles. We advocate for accountability and transparency, emphasizing that any school receiving public funds must fully comply with Vermont’s public school rules and regulations. Our mission is to protect and promote equitable, high-quality public education for all Vermont students.
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