Committee members push study of regional high schools and plan site visits to community schools and state library

A member of the House Education Committee said it would be valuable to clarify the committee’s goals for regional middle and high schools and to explore how those goals intersect with planned career and technical education (CTE) work. "It would be really great for me to hear more about what our goals are for regional, middle, and high schools and how that ... intersects with our CTE work," the committee member said.

Committee leadership and staff discussed turning that interest into on‑the‑ground research. The chair proposed a field visit to learn about the state library’s infrastructure and recovery efforts in public libraries: "What is the state's infrastructure for libraries by going to visit the Vermont State Library in Barre," she said, and suggested combining that with a visit to a public library in Montpelier if time allowed. Staff also raised visiting community schools such as Hazen and a community‑school example mentioned in the transcript.

Members agreed on a modest, morning‑focused visit format: arrive around 9 a.m., observe community‑school activities, speak with teachers and principals for roughly a half hour, and return for floor business in the afternoon. "Wednesday or Thursday, 9 to noons?" a staff member asked; the group confirmed morning visits and asked staff to lead coordination.

Staff also noted a free community capital summit at the University of Vermont on May 1 that highlights school programs; the chair said she would try not to schedule competing events so members who want to attend can do so. The committee left the study and site‑visit planning to staff and members, with dates and specific school invitations to be coordinated ahead of the next meeting.