Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 1 D cosponsors

S 220 — An act relating to the excess spending threshold

Last action — Read first time and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 08, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

100 added · 61 removed

Plain-language change summary

The changes made to Bill S 220 primarily involve the addition of a few lines that clarify how the "allowable growth percentage" for school districts is calculated. The bill now explicitly states that the minimum allowable growth percentage is three percent, ensuring that all districts have a baseline level of funding growth. This matters because it helps prevent lower-spending districts from falling too far behind higher-spending ones, promoting more equitable funding across schools.

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AS PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 1 of 3 S.220 An act relating to the excess spending threshold It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 1 of 4 S.220 Introduced by Senator Baruth Referred to Committee on Finance Date:
January 8, 2026 Subject:
Taxation and finance;
education property tax;
education;
State funding of public education;
education spending;
per pupil education spending;
allowable growth Statement of purpose of bill as introduced:
This bill proposes to limit the growth in each school district’s per pupil education spending in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 to a specified allowable growth percentage of the district’s prior year per pupil education spending.
An act relating to addressing education spending in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 An act relating to the excess spending threshold It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
ALLOWABLE GROWTH IN EDUCATION SPENDING FOR FISCAL YEARS 2028 AND 2029 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 only, a school district’s per pupil education spending, as defined in 16 V.S.A.
§ 4001(14), shall not exceed the sum of the district’s per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year and the district’s allowable growth.
(b) As used in this section:
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 2 of 4 (1) “Allowable growth” for a school district means the product of the district’s allowable growth percentage and the district’s per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year.
(2)(A) “Allowable growth percentage” for a school district means nine percent of the difference in per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year between the district and the highest spending district, excluding gores, expressed as a percentage of the district’s per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year, provided that the minimum allowable growth percentage shall be three percent.
(B) A school district’s “allowable growth percentage” is calculated as follows:
(i) subtract the district’s per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year from the highest per pupil education spending in any district, excluding gores, in the prior fiscal year;
(ii) divide the difference determined under subdivision (i) of this subdivision (2)(B) by the district’s per pupil education spending in the prior fiscal year;
and (iii) multiply the percentage determined under subdivision (ii) of this subdivision (2)(B) by nine percent.
Sec.2.
EFFECTIVE DATE This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 3 of 4 Sec.
1.
§ 4001 is amended to read:
§ 4001 is amended to read:
§ 4001.
§ 4001.
* * * VT LEG #388283 v.1 AS PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 2 of 3 Sec.
* * * Sec.
§ 5401 is amended to read:
§ 5401 is amended to read:
§ 5401.
§ 5401.
§ 2804(b).
§ 2804(b).
(C) A school district’s excess spending shall be zero if any of the following conditions is met:
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 4 of 4 (C) A school district’s excess spending shall be zero if any of the following conditions is met:
VT LEG #388283 v.1 AS PASSED BY SENATE S.220 Page 3 of 3 (ii) the district’s per pupil education spending is not greater than the district’s per pupil education spending for the preceding school year;
(ii) the district’s per pupil education spending is not greater than the district’s per pupil education spending for the preceding school year;
VT LEG #388283 v.1
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Action History

  1. Read first time and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

  2. Read 3rd time & passed

  3. New Business/Third Reading

  4. 3rd reading ordered

  5. Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Finance agreed to

  6. Reported favorably by Senator Baruth for Committee on Appropriations

  7. Read 2nd time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Chittenden for Committee on Finance

  8. Favorable report by Committee on Appropriations

  9. Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Finance

  10. Second Reading

  11. Favorable report by Committee on Appropriations

  12. Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Finance

  13. Second Reading

  14. Entered on Notice Calendar

  15. Referred to Committee on Appropriations per Senate Rule 31

  16. Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Finance

  17. Second Reading

  18. Entered on Notice Calendar

  19. Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Finance

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 189 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (189)

189 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 189 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

taxation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 220?
S 220 is sponsored by Philip E Baruth (Democrat/Progressive).
What is the current status of S 220?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 08, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track S 220?
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