Gov. Phil Scott has reappointed Rebecca Holcombe as secretary of the Agency of Education, keeping in place a key player in the delicate rollout of a school district consolidation law passed in 2015.
Holcombe, first appointed to the post by former Gov. Peter Shumlin in 2014, is the last cabinet-level appointment in the Scott administration.
Holcombe has played a critical role in the deployment of Act 46, the 2015 law that sought to gain efficiencies in the public education system by merging small school districts into larger governance entities.
She’ll now help lead Scott’s controversial effort to curb spending on kindergarten-through-12th-grade school districts. Scott wants to use the savings to boost spending on child care subsidies, pre-kindergarten, and higher education.
“During her tenure as a Secretary, Rebecca has shown a fierce commitment to improving Vermont’s education system with a focus on outcomes and the experience of our kids,” Scott said in a written statement. “As my Administration works to rethink the system, building a cradle-to-career approach that fosters innovation and supports educational and economic goals, Rebecca will be a strong leader and champion for creating more value for our students throughout the entire spectrum.”
Holcombe is a career educator, and taught middle school and high school before becoming principal at the Fairlee School.
