A task force in Vermont is currently drafting up new school district boundaries with the goal to reduce the number of districts by 2028. This would create larger districts that aim to be more streamlined.
The effort grew out of a new law born from years of frustration about education costs, which have caused Vermont communities to face sizable property tax increases over the past few years. Vermont Public’s education and youth reporter Lola Duffort explains how increases in property taxes and declining school enrollment led us here.
Two members of the task force joined the conversation to offer their perspective. Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, a Democrat representing Norwich, served as Vermont’s Secretary of Education from 2014 to 2018. At that time, she steered Vermont through its last school district consolidation effort. Another member of the task force, Jay Badams, is a retired superintendent of SAU 70, an interstate school district in the Upper Valley. We also heard from a current superintendent, Jamie Kinnarney of White River Valley Supervisory Union.
Broadcast live on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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