As he kicked off his fifth term leading Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday used his inaugural address to preview his two top legislative priorities: creating new housing and reforming the state’s education funding system.
Before a packed House chamber, the Republican governor said voters believe the state has gone in the wrong direction. The solution, he indicated, was collaborative policymaking with a Legislature dominated by Democrats, focused on areas he said were long overdue for change.
Those changes, Scott said, would impact not just already thriving northwestern Vermont, but the state’s rural corners.
The governor spent much of his speech addressing rising education spending, which he said needed immediate attention. Part of the problem, Scott said, was the state’s idiosyncratic funding formula.
“‘Let’s have the courage to fix the entire system,” he said, rather than just “tinker.”
He promised his administration would propose a new funding formula, a simpler school governance structure and guardrails for local communities to reduce cost pressures.
In all, the ideas would represent a “multi-year plan to transform education.”
On housing, Scott suggested a “creative expansion” of Vermont’s Tax Increment Finance system, which helps municipalities fund infrastructure development. He also called for Act 250 exemptions to expand to include rural communities.
Scott, one of the nation’s most popular governors, first took office in 2017. This session, his fellow Republicans will hold more sway in both chambers, with increased numbers and committee leadership positions.
This story will be updated.
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