Fixing the squeeze in Vermont's education funding

April 18, 2025: Vermont's education-related property taxes have jumped in recent years, increasing the sense of urgency to reduce costs. The Legislature is considering the education reform bill, H.454. The Scott Administration has its proposal to reform the state's public preK-12 system.

Analysts at the Public Assets Institute say the proposals may have unintended consequences. Executive Director Steph Yu and Senior Policy Analyst Jack Hoffman join today's discussion. They say Vermont's education spending and staff ratios have remained relatively flat. The deeper issue is that low- and moderate-income households feel the squeeze. 

Follow H.454's path through the Legislature: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.454

Read Jack Hoffman's 4/15/25 blog post on the issue: https://publicassets.org/research-publications/education-reform-redux

PAI staff's 4/18/25 a FAQ-style blog on school tax fairness: https://publicassets.org/research-publications/how-to-make-school-taxes-fairer-this-year-and-beyond

Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net