Roll Call! Senate Votes for Moratorium on Public Schools “Going Independent” (9-19), 2014

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)

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.

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)

VIDEO: School Choice Derangement Syndrom in State House

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How They Voted

(Click on Your Senator’s Name to Send an Email)

Timothy Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) – ABSENT

Claire Ayer (D-Addison) – NO

Philip Baruth (D-Chittenden) – NO

Joseph Benning (R-Caledonia) – YES

Christopher Bray (D-Addison) – NO

John Campbell (D-Windsor) – NOlk;

Donald Collins (D-Franklin) – NO

Ann Cummings (D-Washington) – NO

William Doyle (R-Washington) – NO

Margaret Flory (R-Rutland) – YES

Eldred French (D-Rutland) – NO

Peter Galbraith (D-Windham) – NO

Robert Hartwell (D-Bennington) – YES

M. Jane Kitchel (D-Caledonia) – YES

Virginia Lyons (D-Chittenden) – NO

Mark MacDonald (D-Orange) – NO

Richard Mazza (D-Chittenden-Grand Isle) – NO

Norman McAllister (R-Franklin) – ABSENT

Richard McCormack (D-Windsor) – NO

Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland) – NO

Alice Nitka (D-Windsor District) – YES

Anthony Pollina (P/D/W-Washington) – NO

John Rodgers (D-Essex-Orleans) – YES

Richard Sears (D-Bennington) – YES

Diane Snelling (R-Chittenden) – NO

Robert Starr (D-Essex-Orleans) – YES

Michael Sirotkin (D-Chittenden) – NO

Richard Westman (R-Lamoille) – YES

Jeanette White (D-Windham) – NO

David Zuckerman (P-Chittenden) – NO

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