Vermont H 640: An act relating to creating tenant rights to purchase an apartment building

Bill Text

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VT LEG #386205 v.2
H.640 1
Introduced by Representatives Harple of Glover, Berbeco of Winooski, 2
Burrows of West Windsor, Carris Duncan of Whitingham, 3
Krasnow of South Burlington, LaMont of Morristown, 4
Mrowicki of Putney, Satcowitz of Randolph, and Sweeney of 5
Shelburne 6
Referred to Committee on 7
Date: 8
Subject: Education; school districts; school district board of directors; student 9
members 10
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require all 11
school district boards to include voting student members in grades nine, 10, 11, 12
and 12 and nonvoting student members in grades seven and eight. 13
An act relating to adding voting student members to school district boards 14
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 15
Sec. 1. INTENT 16
It is the intent of the General Assembly to include voting student members 17
on the boards of any new school districts the General Assembly enacts 18
pursuant to 2025 Acts and Resolves No. 73. 19

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VT LEG #386205 v.2
Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 564 is added to read: 1
§ 564. SCHOOL BOARDS; STUDENT MEMBER 2
(a) Notwithstanding sections 558, 729, and 747 of this title or any other 3
provision of law to the contrary, the school board of a town, city, or 4
incorporated or union school district or the member districts of a joint contract 5
district or a regional technical center school district, which is organized to 6
provide secondary education for its resident students or maintains a regional 7
technical center, shall have student members on the school board in accordance 8
with this section. 9
(1) Each school board of a school district that is organized to provide for 10
the education of its resident students in grades nine through 12 shall have one 11
voting student member from each of grades nine, 10, 11, and 12, for a total of 12
four voting student members, regardless of how many high schools the school 13
district operates. 14
(2) Each school board of a school district that is organized to provide for 15
the education of its resident students in grades seven and eight shall have one 16
nonvoting student member from each of grades seven and eight, for a total of 17
two nonvoting student members, regardless of how many schools the district 18
operates that provide education in grades seven and eight. 19
(3) Both nonvoting and voting student school board members shall serve 20
as a board member for the same term length as a nonstudent member; 21

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VT LEG #386205 v.2
provided, however, that in the case of a school district that operates schools for 1
some or all of the applicable grades, the student school board members shall 2
also be enrolled in and attending a school operated by the district for the entire 3
time they serve as a school board member. If a student school board member 4
graduates before the student’s term expires, the student shall be ineligible to 5
serve on the school board and a new student school board member shall be 6
appointed pursuant to the process developed under subdivision (4) of this 7
subsection. 8
(4) Both nonvoting and voting student school board members shall be 9
appointed by the superintendent of the school district, following a process 10
adopted by the school board that enables secondary students to participate in 11
the choice of the student members. 12
(5) Nothing in this section shall preclude a school board from appointing 13
a nonvoting student member or members. 14
(b) The provisions of this section shall supersede any educational charter 15
provision or school district articles of agreement to the contrary. 16
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 17
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026. 18