MVSU Superintendent Call On Vermont Voters to Demand Changes to Controversial S.220 Education Reform Bill

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The Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MSVU) Superintendent of Schools, Sherry Sousa, today released the following letter, which urges both taxpayers and the Vermont State Legislators who represent them to hit the “pause button” on a controversial education reform bill-- Senate Bill 220 (S.220). Instead, Sousa urged the General Assembly to “adopt a more gradual approach to the excess spending penalty and to affirm its commitment to addressing underlying cost drivers” that are starkly beyond MVSU’s or its taxpayers power to control.

As currently framed, S.220 would negatively impact many school districts, including MVSU. For example, it would lower the excess spending thresholds calculation for MVSU and all schools statewide from 118% to 112% of the average per-pupil spend. Based on the current, voter-approved MVSU budget, such a reduction would translate into an additional $2.5 million that the district’s seven towns would owe to the State -- unless they decide to drastically reduce both staff and programs to compensate for this adjustment.

Increasing the urgency behind the Superintendent’s message, S.220 is expected to pass out of the Senate today. It will next be considered by the State’s House Ways and Means Committee as early as this Thursday.

The full content of Superintendent Sousa’s letter follows:

Dear MVSU Families,

I have remained silent until now regarding the work of our Legislature to “transform” Vermont Public Education this session. I know how committed our communities are to providing high quality learning for our students. At this critical time, I want to share my concerns regarding a piece of legislation being discussed in the Legislature that would have a significant impact on our schools.

Senate Bill 220 (S.220) would lower the excess spending thresholds calculation from 118% to 112% of the average of the Per Pupil Spend. This reduction of the threshold, based on the current voter-approved budget, would mean that our seven MVSU towns would either have to send an additional $2.5 million to Montpelier based on this year’s voter-approved budget or would need to reduce staff and programs (12 to 15 staff members) to compensate for this adjustment.

S.220 would also exclude all voter-approved bond payments toward principal and interest from education spending for the purpose of calculating excess spending. This is the “decoupling” legislation for which the district has been advocating. S220 would lower the excess spending threshold starting in fiscal year 2028. More school districts would then need to adjust their budgets to account for the lower excess spending adjustment, either by reducing education spending or by paying a double tax on the portion that exceeds the threshold.

The bill is expected to pass out of the Senate today. As voters, we will have important opportunities to influence S.220 in the House. The House Ways and Means Committee’s agenda indicates the Committee will begin taking up the bill this week – on Thursday. Here’s a summary of the bill’s benefits and challenges:

Benefits of S220:

  • Moves away from hard caps that would have imposed rigid constraints that did not adequately account for the rising costs of Public Education.

  • Removes the inclusion of school construction bonds in excess spending calculations.

Concerns regarding S220:

  • Significant and rapid reductions in educational opportunities

  • Policy does not address the primary drivers of rising costs, which remain outside of local control. These include:

    • Health insurance premiums, which have increased by 35% over the past three years.

    • Existing collective bargaining agreements that cannot be adjusted to absorb new penalties.

    • The increasing responsibility of schools themselves for providing mental health services.

    • Construction costs, which have gone largely unsupported by the state for nearly two decades.

    • Current funding formula weights that do not fully align with research-based recommendations.

For these reasons, I would ask that you urge the General Assembly to adopt a more gradual approach to the excess spending penalty and to affirm its commitment to addressing underlying cost drivers.

I provide this summary so that you can offer your own personal perspective on this legislation and share it with your local Senators and Representatives.

Sherry Sousa

Your MVSU Superintendent

About Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU): Located in Central Vermont’s Green Mountains, Mountain Views Supervisory Union serves students from Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, Woodstock, and other neighboring school-choice communities. For more information, please visit the MVSU Website.

Contact:

Gina McAllister

Chair, MVSU Communications Committee

gina.mcallister@mtnviews.org

Mobile: (802) 738-6414

Office: (802) 952-1048

Raphael Adamek