MONTPELIER – Vermont’s Senate adjourned on Friday evening, ending the 2025-2026 biennium. The 2024 election and an end to the super majority in the House and Senate made it possible for a lot of good work to be accomplished over the last 2 years.
Vermonters were rewarded for voting in a balanced legislature. The differences between 2023-2024 and 2025-2026 are striking. In the previous biennium (super majority) education property taxes increased by 24%. In this biennium (no super majority), education property taxes increased by 4%. And, cost containment through 2032 was included in H.949.
No new taxes or fees were added in 2025-2026. Some taxes were reduced, including income taxes for social security recipients and military pensions. And Vermont’s Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit were increased, helping families and low-income Vermonters.
Many of the actions taken by the super majority over Governor Scott’s veto were reversed. The most offensive parts of Act 181, including the Road Rule and Tier 3, were repealed. These provisions would have imposed Act 250 regulations on wide swaths of rural Vermont.
In the 2023-2024 biennium, the super majority passed the Clean Heat Standard, a $0.59 tax on heating fuel. In 2025-2026, the Clean Heat Standard failed due to a lack of legislative support, and the Public Utility Commission will not move forward.
The recovery of the Transportation Fund has begun. The Transportation Fund base has increased by $40M during the 2025-2026 biennium. A lot more work is required. Vermont is only paving 56 of 2700 miles of state highway this year. We should be paving 300 miles annually to maintain Vermont roads in good or very good condition.
There is a theme here: balance in Montpelier works. But there is still unfinished work required to undo all of the damage. The Global Warming Solutions Act and Renewable Energy Standard will force dramatic increases in energy costs for Vermonters, with little or no gain in carbon reduction.
Virtue signaling has its purpose, but not at the expense of Vermonters struggling with affordability. Vermont can reduce its carbon footprint further without heavy-handed penalties, while simultaneously reducing energy costs.
Education reform, appropriately, took up a lot of the legislature’s time. Vermont’s Pre-k to 12 costs per pupil are the second highest in the nation, our staffing ratio is the highest, and our results are trending downward fast. In addition, Vermont’s high school completion rate has decreased to 82%.
There were many attempts to restrict school choice and independent schools in our area, fortunately all were turned away.
In the end, significant actions were taken, but real education reform and transformation are not guaranteed.
The framework is in place for school districts to accomplish transformation, but it is not required.
I am hopeful that area school districts will take advantage of this opportunity.
I know that many are concerned about small schools, especially elementary schools in rural communities.
It is my opinion that none of the schools in the Caledonia Senate District need to close, but the grades they serve may need to change. The trend is toward local elementary schools, central middle schools and regional high schools. Every school district will need to determine how they fit in.
Scott Beck is a senator from the Caledonia District, including the towns of Barnet, Danville, Groton, Hardwick, Newbury, Peacham, Ryegate, St. Johnsbury, Stannard, Walden, Waterford and Wheelock.
Sen. Scott Beck
Sen. Scott Beck is the Senate Minority Leader and represents Caledonia County
