'Shark Pools' And 'Gold Towns': 20 Years Later, Act 60's Impact On Education And Equity

Vermont Public | By Jane Lindholm

Published June 26, 2017 at 12:00 PM EDT

Eleven year old Katherine Stevens, right, and nine year old Austin Anderson, listen to arguments in Vermont Superior Court, in Hyde Park, Oct. 22, 1997. The two children were part of a lawsuit challenging Act 60, by schoolchildren in Stowe. — Eleven year old Katherine Stevens, right, and nine year old Austin Anderson, listen to arguments in Vermont Superior Court, in Hyde Park, Oct. 22, 1997. The two children were part of a lawsuit challenging Act 60.

Twenty years ago, Act 60 reshaped Vermont's education system. Designed to tackle inequality in education spending among towns, the legislation divided communities and made national headlines. Vermont Edition looks back at that debate, and at Act 60's legacy in today's battles over education and equity.

Guests

Paul Cillo is president and executive director of the Public Assets Institute. He's former Majority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives and one of the architects of Act 60.
Oliver Olsen is an independent representing Jamaica. Londonderry, Stratton, Weston, and Winhall in the Vermont House.
David Goodman is a journalist, author, and host of the radio show The Vermont Conversation. His 1999 article for Mother Jones on Act 60 was "America's Newest Class War."

Broadcast live on Monday, June 26, 2017 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.