by Geo Honigford Vermont strives to be a place where fairness matters. It’s part of a broader culture we nurture and gravitate to as residents in this state. That principle breaks down when it comes to our education funding system; public schools and publicly-funded private schools are held to two very different sets of standards.
Public schools are required to meet a full set of standards designed to protect students and ensure accountability. This includes following curriculum guidelines, offering services to students with disabilities, and meeting rules around financial transparency, and hiring licensed teachers. Private/independent schools, many of which have around 90% of their students on the public dollar, are receiving the same public tax dollars but not held to those same standards. They aren’t required to hire licensed teachers, they can choose not to admit students, expel students without due process, and do not have to account for how they spend our public tax dollars. They aren’t subject to the same public reporting rules; not bound by the same commitments to transparency, equity, and accountability that public schools must meet every day.
This is not to vilify private schools; many offer valuable educational experiences and serve their communities well. Public money should come with public accountability, regardless of whether a public or private school receives it. We don’t let public health clinics operate without oversight, or let publicly funded housing programs ignore fair housing rules. The same should hold true for education.
This policy discrepancy raises real fairness and safety questions about whether all children in Vermont are equally protected and supported. A newly introduced bill in the legislature “H.813” will address this fairness issue. Requiring private/independent schools that accept public money to meet the same standards as public schools.
Friends of Vermont Public Education, a not for profit, organization that protects public education, understands the lack of accountability for private schools effects every Vermonter who cares about kids, our communities, and how public money is spent. If we continue funding education at this level, we owe it to taxpayers to get this right. We owe it to our students to ensure the rules are consistent and the protections are real.
The lack of consistent oversight has already led to serious harm. In 2025, a staff member at the Vermont School for Girls, a state-approved independent school receiving public tuition dollars, was charged with repeatedly assaulting a student over the course of several months. Administrators had received earlier reports of inappropriate behavior but failed to act quickly. This was not the first time that school faced serious safety concerns, but because the school did not operate under the same requirements as a public school, the timeline for accountability was delayed, and the protections that should have been in place were not guaranteed. This injury was exacerbated and prolonged by how few tools the state had to intervene, as well as by the Council for Independent Schools placing obstacles in the way of the investigation.
It’s time to start talking about this openly in our communities. Friends of Vermont Public Education pushes for a clear and reasonable fix: one set of rules for any school that receives public funds. Our “Same Dollars, Same Rules” campaign is aimed at ensuring that all schools receiving public funding in Vermont are held to the same basic standards of safety, transparency, and access. This doesn’t imply every school must be identical, it simply means that the public has a right to expect basic standards of fairness, safety, and accountability wherever its money is going. Let your legislator know that you support “H.813”.
Geo Honigford, Royalton, Friends of Vermont Public Education