Commentary: Protect school choice in rural Vermont

Rural schools operate under different realities than schools in larger cities or suburban areas. In small towns, geography and population size shape what is possible in ways that policy discussions in Montpelier sometimes overlook.

For generations, Vermont responded to those realities with practical solutions. One of the most important is school choice, which allows students in small towns to attend schools that best meet their needs.

School choice developed because rural communities needed practical solutions. Small towns simply cannot offer every academic program, career pathway, and extracurricular opportunity within a single building.

Those solutions have helped many rural students find the path that works best for them.

Programs like Southwest Tech are a good example. Students from across our region come together there to learn trades and professions that keep our communities running, from construction and automotive technology to health care and graphic arts.

I see these realities firsthand through my work with Southwest Tech and the students and families it serves. As a member of the Southwest Tech school board, one thing becomes clear quickly when one sees the work up close: these programs are not secondary options. For many students, they are the place where learning finally clicks.

At the same time, the budgetary pressures facing Vermont schools are real. Property taxes are rising, and communities are being asked to make difficult choices.

But when we talk about rising school budgets, we should be honest about what is driving those increases.

This year at Southwest Tech, the vast majority of the year-over-year budget increase was driven by rising health insurance costs. Not new programs. Not new classrooms. Health insurance.

When costs that schools cannot control keep rising, it becomes harder for communities to invest in what actually improves students' opportunities.

The pressures facing our schools are frequently tied to systems far outside the classroom. In rural Vermont, housing, health, and economic policies directly affect education policy.

Housing costs affect whether families can afford to stay in a community. Health care costs shape school budgets. Wages and economic opportunity determine whether young people see a future for themselves here.

These systems are connected, and our policies must reflect that.

At the same time, rural districts like ours depend on something else that has served Vermont well for generations: school choice.

School choice developed because rural communities needed practical solutions. In towns across this region, families rely on the ability to choose the school environment that works best for their children. Some students attend a traditional public high school. Others pursue specialized programs, independent schools, or career and technical education. That flexibility exists because small towns cannot realistically provide every opportunity within a single building.

In districts like ours, school choice is something we should protect and strengthen, not weaken. Families deciding where to live often look closely at school options, and in small towns, school choice has long helped families remain rooted in their communities while still finding the right educational fit for their children.

When families have options, students are more likely to find the place where they succeed. When communities maintain those pathways, rural students are not limited by the size of the town in which they grew up.

If Vermont is serious about strengthening rural schools, we need to keep the policies that recognize rural realities. That includes protecting and strengthening school choice in rural communities, supporting career and technical education, and addressing the housing and health care pressures that are quietly shaping our school budgets.

Rural Vermont has always faced challenges that larger communities do not. The answer has never been one-size-fits-all. It has been practical solutions that reflect the realities of small towns. Protecting and strengthening school choice is one of those solutions.

Published on March 11, 2025 via Manchester Journal.