To the editor: Clarkson on education reform bills’ progress; announces retirement after 22 years

Our Town Meeting break is almost over. The Vermont legislature returns to work today, Tuesday, March 10. It will be an intense week as every policy committee needs to vote out any bills by the end of the week for them to have a prayer of making it to the finish line.

It is ‘cross over’ deadline time, which means we are about halfway through our 18-week legislative session. Our bills need to ‘cross over’ in order for the other chamber to further consider their merit. Our work, at the moment, is all work in progress.

This year all eyes are on the two Education Committees – House and Senate — as they tackle how to implement last year’s Act 73. They have one week to vote out their proposals for how we transform public education’s governance and delivery.

The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance are grappling with how we transform education funding. You can follow all four of these committee discussions in real time on YouTube (and read all the testimony) accessible on their committee webpages on the legislative webpage.

Each of the education committees is weighing very different proposals – the House is proposing mandatory re-districting with 27 supervisory districts that range in size from 2,000 to 4,000 students. This proposal maintains school choice for the four historic academies. See the proposed House Education Committee map. The Senate is proposing 11 supervisory unions designed around school choice and a 2-year voluntary regionalization of schools.

Most of these districts have more students than the House proposal. See the proposed Senate Education Committee map. My Senate colleagues, Becca White and Joe Major and I made it to eight Town Meetings. I was able to attend the Reading, Woodstock, Weathersfield, Chester, Ludlow, Windsor, Hartland and West Windsor meetings.

In my remarks I let people know that even though our world may be full of uncertainty – Vermont is stable and your legislature continues to be functional. We have a lot of challenges, but I am certain we will navigate them in a civil and productive fashion.

This year some of our top priorities are: protecting Vermonter’s civil liberties and our civil rights, protecting us from federal budget cuts, working hard to keep Vermont an affordable place to live, working to ensure we have a sustainable public education system which is sustainably funded; and working every day in our committees.

In addition, at each meeting, I asked to speak on a ‘point of personal privilege’ and made this brief announcement:

After 22 years in the legislature, I have made the decision to retire. Serving you has been the honor of a lifetime – thank you. Thank you for sending me to Montpelier to represent you and to advocate for you. Thank you for trusting me to make decisions on your behalf.

Thank you for the gift of getting to know you – the impressive people of Windsor County, getting to know and appreciate each town’s idiosyncrasies, and getting to know the many glories of this remarkable state we are lucky enough to live in. But I am ready for a new adventure. Vermont is full of opportunities and needs – and I am ready to focus on some of those.

I’ve treasured my time in the legislature. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve you – it’s an honor and a privilege that I never forget and am always grateful for. Thank you. 

I appreciate hearing from you. I can be reached by email: aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us or by phone at the Statehouse Tuesday through Fridays at 802-828-2228 or at home Saturday through Mondays at 802-457-4627.

Alison Clarkson
Senator
Windsor District