Ways & Means advances amendment 4.1 to bill 955 to add interactive education funding calculator; straw poll favorable 10-1-0

The Ways & Means Committee reviewed an amendment to bill 955 on April 16 that would add an interactive education funding calculator to the Department of Taxes website and make two technical fixes to the bill; the committee conducted a nonbinding straw poll and found the amendment favorable by a 10-1-0 margin.

John Gray, legislative counsel, and counsel from the Saint James office of legislative counsel read draft 4.1 to the committee and said the first instance of the amendment (section 18a) would require the Department of Taxes to publish an interactive education funding calculator — described as an "interactive calculator" or "widget" — on or before Oct. 1, 2027. The calculator would let a school district or a union school district study committee estimate the total state education funding a district received in fiscal year 2027 under Vermont’s existing finance system and estimate what the district would have received under the proposed financing formula.

The amendment requires the Department of Taxes to consult with the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO), the Agency of Education (AOE), and the Department of Finance and Management while developing the tool. Counsel said the department must submit a preliminary plan for the calculator to JFO and AOE on or before Aug. 1 and provide a preliminary version to the joint fiscal committee in September 2027 for feedback.

Committee members raised practicality and quality-control concerns, including how the tool would handle districts or union districts that do not yet exist and who would validate the outputs. Counsel said the widget is intended to allow users to combine towns, and that the department will submit plans and preliminary versions to the Joint Fiscal Office and Joint Fiscal Committee for review before publication. "They're submitting it to the joint fiscal office for feedback," the chair said.

A second instance of the amendment clarified an omission in rulemaking: language was added to require rulemaking in section 27(d) (on length of school day) to occur on or before March so it aligns with other rulemaking dates in the bill.

A third change came from the corrections and institutions committee: it adds a requirement that the treasurer, in consultation with CDAC, recommend the annual total state bonding support available for the school construction program and distribute that recommendation to additional legislative committees, and to include analysis on how the program affects overall capital budget capacity.

The chair noted the committee did not have custody of the bill and therefore treated the vote as a straw poll. The clerk reported the nonbinding straw poll as favorable 10-1-0. The chair adjourned the day's business and said meetings continue the next morning at 9 a.m. for amendment preparation.

(Quoted or paraphrased statements attributed to John Gray and legislative counsel.)