The Board of Directors of Friends of Vermont Public Education writes to express our serious concern regarding state Sen. Scott Beck’s conduct and to formally request his public censure and immediate removal from the School District Redistricting Task Force.

In August, Sen. Beck contacted the Cabot and Danville school boards and urged them to close their public high schools, citing speculative and unsubstantiated legislative changes. He claimed that if they did not act quickly, they might lose access to unlimited school choice, and that any future legislative changes would likely be made retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026. These statements introduced urgency and fear into already sensitive local discussions, despite no such legislation being proposed.

Sen. Beck is employed by St. Johnsbury Academy, an approved independent school located near both towns, and one that stands to gain significant public tuition dollars if the Cabot and Danville high schools close. His outreach was not part of any public process or task force assignment. It did not include Twinfield, the third small high school in the same supervisory union, only the two most likely to send students to his employer. Cabot is not in his legislative district.

The fallout in both communities has been substantial. In Danville, a petition circulated by a local parent has triggered a formal process for a townwide vote on school closure. The school board has announced it will hold a referendum on Dec. 6, pending certification of signatures. In Cabot, the school board had prepared a survey on potential closure following Beck’s outreach, but shelved it after significant public pushback.

These events have caused real disruption in communities that were not actively pursuing school closure prior to Sen. Beck’s intervention. His actions introduced uncertainty, undermined local governance and gave the appearance of advancing a course of action that would benefit his private employer.

This conduct is incompatible with service on a task force charged with reshaping Vermont’s public school governance structure. Regardless of intent, it creates the unmistakable appearance that Sen. Beck used his public position to influence decisions with clear implications for his own professional context. His continued presence on the Task Force undermines its credibility and calls into question the impartiality of its work.

We therefore respectfully request that the Senate take the following actions:

  • Publicly censure Senator Scott Beck for conduct that compromised public trust in Vermont’s democratic processes
  • Remove him from the School District Redistricting Task Force effective immediately to preserve the integrity and neutrality of its recommendations

Vermont families deserve confidence that decisions about their public schools are made in the public interest, not shaped by private affiliations or informal pressure. We urge you to act swiftly to restore that confidence.

Tom “Geo” Honigford is a member of the board of directors of Friends of Vermont Public Education. He lives in Royalton. This letter was signed by the rest of the organization’s board members and was originally sent to the state Senate’s Committee on Committees.