As lawmakers reset taxpayer funding of K-12 education, H.483 is a step in the right direction.

It is a great beginning as we all figure out how to remain true to Vermont’s values of transparency, accountability, and equity and how to uphold the separation of church and state. The House passed version of the bill now heads to the Senate.

Vermont is paying private schools to provide a public education. And H.483 is a step toward ensuring that those schools should be held to the same set of standards as Vermont public schools.

H.483 is NOT about eliminating choice in towns that rely on taxpayer-funded vouchers; it does NOT force private schools to close; and it does NOT force private schools to become public.