Dear Gov. Scott,We are the Brattleboro Union High School Student Advisory Committee, an organization of about a dozen students who work to bridge the gap between students, staff, administration and the The Windham Southeast School District School Board.In general, we focus on local issues, but in li ght of recent statewide proposals — including your “Transformative Education Plan” — we feel compelled to sound the alarm across Vermont.At every level, we strive to give every student a voice in the issues that concern them to ensure they are recognized as a person over a number. We feel that these guiding principles have been minimized or forgotten altogether in far too many recent conversations.Students are the biggest stakeholders in any changes to the education system, and their voices must be heard and valued. We do not see this happening.Vermont has one of the greatest public education systems in the country. Families chose to move here for our schools. We urge you to keep this in mind when making these dramatic changes. The goal of attracting more young people to the state will not be achieved by restructuring the education system.And remember that schools, regardless of their size, are often fundamental to small-town communities, too. There may be a time and a place for consolidation, but at minimum, there needs to be clear evidence behind it. We must be positive that closing a school or combining districts will save money and improve student experiences. There are places where elementary school students have to travel excessive distances on the bus every day, yet there has still been none of the promised analysis of Act 46’s efficacy.Transportation is already hard for many families. What will happen with the increased time a kid needs to sit on the bus? What about transportation during bad weather, like winter, when the roads aren’t the safest? Especially during Vermont’s prominent spring season, mud runs already make bus rides incredibly long for rural students.This plan will only increase the time kids spend on the bus. It will also be taxing on parents who need to pick up students who participate in after-school events. Added driving time can make a big difference for low-income families and those with strict work schedules. This plan includes the expansion of school choice vouchers, which doesn’t allow every student to succeed. Instead, it exacerbates inequity by diverting public funds away from struggling schools and often into the hands of private schools.The administration also proposes a minimum class size of 25 for grades four through twelve. What will the average class size be? Having been in some large classes ourselves, 25 students per class feels uncomfortably large. A class of 30 or 35 wouldn’t even fit in most rooms, let alone be an environment conducive to learning.This plan will undermine the distinctive strengths Vermont public schools offer students. We have seen strong results in growth in all aspects of being a student from those who attend small, tight-knit schools. These supportive and conducive environments to everyone’s learning style have benefited students after elementary school.In some of our personal experiences, being in a class of 15 or fewer allowed us to connect really well to our community in school and beyond. These connections have made it possible for us to give back more and more to our communities after leaving elementary school. Finally, the timing of this plan is very rushed, and it risks causing irreparable harm. The full details of this plan were not released until almost midway through this legislative session, and yet, according to the proposed timeline, major changes will start arriving in 2026, next year. That is insufficient time for students, legislators, constituents, school boards, administrators and other stakeholders to consider, research and propose changes. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and hear our concerns.Sincerely,The Brattleboro Union High School Student Advisory Committee:Willow SharmaJude AndersMaeve BaldWilliam LinIndigo Rosenzweig-DavidovitsEason DeMarsico-ThorneTheia WepalokiRiley BristolElijah KitzmillerEli WelchRead the story on VTDigger here: A letter to the governor from the Brattleboro Union High School Student Advisory Committee. ...read more read less