Senate advances CTE reforms
Vermont’s Senate passed S.313, a package of Career and Technical Education reforms addressing access gaps, funding shortfalls, and alignment with labor markets — a potential model for skills‑training policy organizing. (x.com)
Primary sponsor Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale is joined by eight co‑sponsors on S.313: Senators Seth Bongartz, Alison Clarkson, Ruth Hardy, Wendy Harrison, Joseph Major, Andrew Perchlik, David Weeks, and Richard Westman. (legislature.vermont.gov) The Senate’s calendar shows S.313 read first on Jan. 27, placed on the notice calendar March 13, reported favorably by the Education Committee with an amendment March 17, and passed third reading in the Senate on March 18, 2026. (trackbill.com) The bill’s text directs increasing CTE access in middle school and during the first two years of high school, standardizing admissions across centers, and requires that no student be placed on a waitlist when a viable alternative exists — including provision of transportation. (legislature.vermont.gov) S.313 explicitly authorizes flexible delivery models — such as delivering CTE at sending high schools or hybrid formats and sharing technology/resources — and mandates program evaluation tied to Vermont’s Most Promising Jobs and Labor Market Information. (legislature.vermont.gov) The Senate bill calls for “a sustainable, student‑centered funding system” to remove participation disincentives and support program growth, and the Campaign for Vermont analysis flags parallel governance and adult‑education pathway reforms in the measure. (legislature.vermont.gov) (campaignforvermont.org) After Senate passage the measure was read in the House and referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on March 20, 2026, and the legislature’s bill page currently lists no posted fiscal note for S.313. (legislature.vermont.gov 1) (legislature.vermont.gov 2)
