Jill Krowinski

Democratic leaders say they don't have the votes to move forward with mandatory school district consolidation. And they say it's become clear to them that Vermonters don't want it.

The House Committee on Ways and Means has agreed to vote on legislation this year that would increase state income taxes by 3% on household income over $500,000 a year, and by an additional 2% on income over $1 million.

Legislative leaders hope new projections for property tax growth over the next three years will breathe life into foundering education reform negotiations.

The critical first phase of Act 73 — mandatory school district mergers — has ignited fierce opposition in communities across Vermont. And lawmakers now have to confront the possibility that the reform law, enacted just six months ago, no longer has the political support needed to move forward as originally envisioned.

Streamlining governance in Vermont’s education system is the critical first step in a sweeping education reform law approved by Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Phil Scott earlier this year. But a special commission created by the Legislature is urging lawmakers to rethink that plan.

The Trump administration gave Vermont the go ahead Thursday to transfer the entirety of November’s monthly SNAP benefits to roughly 63,000 low-income recipients.

Economic officials in Vermont and Canada say President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, and the uncertainty over his next move, could have the most lasting effects on the nearly $2 billion in foreign exports that Vermont businesses rely on annually.

Elected officials across the political spectrum have said they want to deliver major policy changes in education, housing and other areas, but six weeks into the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers haven’t made much progress toward those goals.

Democratic lawmakers on Saturday declined to hold a vote that would have measured support for incumbent candidate Jill Krowinski, a Democrat from Burlington who’s served in the speaker’s post for the last four years.

A forecast published this week by the Vermont Department of Taxes projects a 5.9% jump in property taxes next year, but Republican Gov. Phil Scott said he is seeking to put forward a proposal that would keep tax bills flat in 2025.