EdWatch Vermont

05/26/2026

This is a must read article: "When a doctor finishing their residency googles our state, here is what they find: potential hospital closures, regulatory battles, a cost of living that keeps climbing and a housing market that has become unrecognizable. There is almost nothing positive in that search. We are asking people to choose Vermont despite all of that. So we had better have something extraordinary to offer. We do. What we can offer — what has time and again made the difference — is the quality of life that defines this corner of Vermont. Our outdoor recreation. Our rural culture. And yes, our independent schools." https://vtdigger.org/2026/05/26/opinion-our-independent-schools-arent-a-luxury-but-a-lifeline/

Pull the thread of school choice in rural Vermont, and you may not realize until too late just how much was attached to it.

05/15/2026

Note that the longest line on the page moving in the wrong direction for student literacy is Vermont. Parents need to take control of the system away from unions and special interests. School choice!

05/13/2026

Vermonters are paying top dollar for one of the worst performing public school systems in the country. Parents need to take control of the system away from the special interests cheating our kids. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/upshot/test-scores-school-districts-us.html

05/08/2026

New York is opting into the federal $1700 tax credit scholarship program? Serioulsly, what is wrong with Vermont??? https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026/05/08/kathy-hochul-opts-into-federal-tax-scholarship-school-choice/

The announcement represents a win for supporters of private school choice, who have been lobbying Democratic governors to join the federal program.

05/08/2026

This is a fight that homeschoolers are going through right now at the legislature:

Dear Homeschoolers (and all Vermonters),
5/8/2026

Sen. Gulick’s amendment to H.930 is expected to be brought to the Senate floor tomorrow.

Please contact your Senator(s) TONIGHT and ask them to vote NO on Sen. Gulick’s amendment to H.930.

This issue is not simply about agreeing or disagreeing with the amendment itself. It is also about process, transparency, and proper vetting so that Vermont does not create bad law through rushed language added during the final hours of the session without testimony or public review. Major changes affecting parental rights and home study deserve public input, agency review, careful consideration, and due process protections. This amendment has not received that level of scrutiny.

The amendment states:

“Prior to acknowledgement of enrollment as required pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Secretary or designee shall provide notice of the enrollment application to the superintendent of the student’s resident school district. The superintendent and the Department for Children and Families shall notify the Agency if there are documented and unresolved concerns related to child welfare, educational neglect, or truancy involving the students.”

What are “documented and unresolved concerns”? The language is vague and undefined. Parents have a constitutional right to direct the education of their children, including the right to home educate. Agency staff should not be placed in the position of restricting that right based on vague standards and without due process protections, particularly when this language has not been fully vetted by the committee.

Points you may wish to raise with your Senator(s):

• Why is major new language affecting parental rights being advanced during the final hours of the session without testimony or public review?

• What due process protections exist for families if a Superintendent or Agency official objects to a home study enrollment?

• Reports to DCF can be recorded without ever being substantiated. Should an unsubstantiated report affect a family’s ability to homeschool?

Please also feel free to share your own concerns.

The subject line of your email should say something like:
“Vote NO on Sen. Gulick’s amendment to H.930.”

If you do not know who your Senator is:

Go to: https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/search/2026
Enter your town of residence in the search box
Click search to find your legislators
Email your Senator(s)

Please DO THIS TONIGHT. The Senate goes to the floor at 9:30 am tomorrow, Friday 5/8/2026.

As always, if you have any questions, please call or email me.

Thank you,
Retta Dunlap
802.472.5491
[email protected]
www.vhen.org

Vermont Home Education Network

05/05/2026

School choice parents are standing up in the NEK! What about the rest of Vermont? https://www.mynbc5.com/article/northeast-kingdom-parents-express-frustration-about-potential-elimination-of-school-choice/71209372?fbclid=IwY2xjawRmtPtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF1TFdnMmUycHVKUjhYbnE1c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHg_ZTzKAw_iWhXL9ahGUzkC8437qwjIoD4KvpK3eEwcRnxjZNHyG5p9YfLQn_aem_UpozDED6ZxiLOCozz_k2vA

"The folks that are at risk to lose the most are the folks in the Northeast Kingdom," said a founder of Voices of NEK, parent-led group advocating to keep school choice in Vermont.

04/30/2026

Attend if you can! "Members of the public are invited to attend a meeting at St. Johnsbury Academy’s South Hall (South Church) on Monday to discuss school choice." ://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/school-choice-advocates-gathering-monday-in-st-johnsbury/article_22009e9c-c126-547a-8592-1be5451e6d5e.html

ST. JOHNSBURY — Members of the public are invited to attend a meeting at St. Johnsbury Academy’s South Hall (South Church) on Monday to discuss school choice.

04/25/2026

Vermont has not yet opted in to this Federal Scholarship Program!!! Call your Reps and Senators and tell them WE WANT IN. "From a state governance standpoint, the opt in decision should be an automatic yes. The sole practical effect of neglecting to opt in is to guarantee that in-state donations will flow out of state and benefit out-of-state students."

There is a gamechanger coming to K-12 education in America – if states take the chance. Twenty-nine states have now opted in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) through various paths. The EFT

03/26/2026

"...that has created an equity issue and underpins many problems facing school districts, such as chronic absenteeism. One in four Vermont students are considered chronically absent, and lack of transportation options may be contributing to that." WAIT A MINUTE!!! Isn't the anti-indpendent school choice argument always that kids can't always get transportation to the independent schools? There are no news stories about kids not being able to get to schools they choose. It seems the real transportation inequity issue is with the traditional public school system. https://vtdigger.org/2026/03/25/lawmakers-take-stock-of-vermonts-irregular-school-transportation-system/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQyUA5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeUiHQWRNVFrDYeaqpkUf-MCZEatbKZtm_Lt_AFxIqfS8rv5uetNrtUJe25EU_aem_a5o0ACjmF2-R2R6DDG267g

Also in Final Reading: Plug-in solar, class-size minimums and campaign announcements.