Roll Call! Senate Votes for Moratorium on Public Schools “Going Independent” (9-19), 2014
SENATE VOTES TO BLOCK TOWNS THAT WISH TO CLOSE THEIR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL AND OPEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THEIR PLACE
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FAILED
in the State Senate on May 9, 2014 by a vote of
9-19
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Purpose: This amendment intended to strip language out of H.876 that would impose a two year moratorium on Vermont towns’ current right vote to close a public school and then lease the building to an independent school. (Read the Bill)
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Analysis: After the town of North Bennington voted to close their public elementary school and lease the building back to an independent school staffed by the same principal and teachers, the VT NEA and the State Board of Education have been pushing hard for some mechanism to stop this from happening again. Currently, the towns are locally empowered with the liberty to decide their own direction. A moratorium is one piece in a larger scheme to eliminate local control over education, including mandatory school district consolidation (which would eliminate local school boards), mandatory publicly funded pre-k, and the ending of Vermont’s small school grants, which many believe will force small rural schools to consolidate. Those voting NO on this bill are participating in this larger plan to erode local control over education and implement a more ridged, state-controlled education system.
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Senate Journal, Friday, May 9, 2014. “Thereupon, pending third reading of the bill, Senators Hartwell and Sears moved that the Senate proposal of amendment be amended… Which was disagreed to on a roll call, Yeas 9, Nays 19.” ( Read the Journal, p. 1714-1717)
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Related Material:
Richard Mazza (D-Chittenden-Grand Isle) – NO
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