A bill that would expand public high school choice to grades 7 and 8 was introduced in the House on Tuesday.
The proposal, H.32, has 15 sponsors, including all five members of the House Education Committee.
Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, a freshman on the committee, said the bill builds on previous legislation that permits high school choice for students in grades 9-12.
“We have public school choice in Vermont in grades 9-12, and a group of legislators, many of them are colleagues of mine on the Ed Committee, think that it’s prudent to extend down to grades 7 and 8, and treat them as one group,” Beck said. “It’s really the same rationale why they thought 9-12 (public high school choice) was a good idea.”
In some cases, depending on where a parent works, it may make more sense, for example, for a high school student to attend school in that community, rather than where they live, Beck said.
Beck, a teacher at the independent St. Johnsbury Academy, said the current law allowing high school choice is not used much.
Beck made clear that this bill is different than one House Republicans are planning that will propose school choice for all Vermont’s students to include independent schools.
“It’s a whole different animal from allowing the private and independent schools,” Beck said.
The proposed legislation suggests that starting with academic year 2016-17, “a student in grade 7 or 8 may choose to attend a public high school in a school district that maintains one or more schools that offer grades 7 through 12; provided, however, that application for and notification of enrollment for academic year 2016–2017 shall be pursuant to procedures and deadlines established and published by the Secretary of Education on or before September 1, 2015.”
The bill was introduced by Reps. Beck, Kevin “Coach” Christie, D-Hartford, Larry Cupoli, R-Rutland, Bernie Juskiewicz, R-Cambridge, and Ann Manwaring, D-Wilmington, from the House Education Committee and 10 other legislators in the House.
