The Vermont State Board of Education's Minimum Class Size Implementation Committee meets Friday, Nov. 20, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Microsoft Teams, to work on the rule that will measure schools against new average class-size minimums. Draft board minutes from Oct. 21 say the Nov. 20 and Dec. 18 meetings are focused on hearing from schools on outstanding questions. The meeting page listed no agenda as of Saturday.
The minimums are in 16 V.S.A. 165(a)(9): an average of 10 students in first grade, 12 in grades two through five, 15 in grades six through eight in required content areas, and 18 in grades nine through 12 in required content areas. The statute lets an individual class fall below the minimum when minimums apply to content areas.
An October memo, dated Oct. 9 on its face, from Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders and the board's subcommittee says the General Assembly clarified in 2026 that a school's failure to comply will not count toward the three consecutive years of noncompliance that let the secretary recommend board action until the board adopts rules or July 1, 2027, whichever comes first. Draft minutes of the committee's Oct. 26 meeting say the board's counsel, Sarah Buxton, told members the rules take effect July 1, 2027, that 2027-28 is the first year that counts, and that no action can be taken until after three years of noncompliance.
The memo lists exemptions that include prekindergarten, kindergarten, career and technical education, flexible pathways, terminal courses, advanced placement, courses needing specialized equipment, driver's education and small-group services. For now, it defines a terminal course as the last in a series and above district graduation requirements. Advisory classes are exempt, while music, art, world language and physical education classes generally count. In a multi-age classroom, the lower grade's minimum applies.
The memo describes enforcement this way: the secretary checks compliance each year, sets out required steps in writing and provides technical assistance, and a school or district generally has two years to correct a problem. After that, the secretary may recommend actions to the board ranging from more technical assistance to changes in supervisory structures, temporary administrative control, school closure with tuitioning, or governance consolidation.
The Agency of Education plans to collect class-size data in spring 2027 and report it in fall 2027. It ran a preliminary model on SY25 data, and districts can request their results from Emma Pearson, an agency education data analyst, at emma.pearson@vermont.gov.
At the Oct. 26 meeting, committee members reviewed draft proposed amendments to the rules and discussed a possible Dec. 2 session to hear from the field. Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals' Association, said he wanted the committee to hear the Agency of Education's response before schools weigh in. According to the draft Oct. 21 minutes, Buxton is to prepare a consolidated draft after the December meeting for the committee's review, with a presentation to the full board planned for January. The memo says formal rulemaking, with more chances for public comment, is expected to begin in early 2027.
