SmartTranscript of House Education - 2025-05-15 - 12:30 PM

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[Annie Gianni]: And you're live. [Chair Peter Conlon]: Hello, everybody. Welcome to the House Education Committee, May fifteenth at twelve thirty. Today, we're going to speak a little bit about the Vermont National Guard tuition benefit program that's included in the miscellaneous education bill that will be coming back to us from the senate hopefully soon. I'm here to speak on that. We have deputy adjutant general brigadier general Hank Harter, and I'll hand it over to you if you could just introduce yourself and tell us [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: what you're out. Yes. Once again, Brigadier General Hank Harter, the deputy agent general for the Vermont National Guard representing Major General Greg Knight, our agent general today. It's a pleasure to be with you and thank you for your time. And I'm ready to jump in or Oh, great. Very good. So, you know, we've we've been talking before we came on here now, but we're we're really proud to say that the Vermont National Guard Tuition Benefit Program, which has been in existence, since twenty eighteen, is really one of the best state packages, of any state, I think in the unit, but certainly in, New England. And we look at it as a key part of both our recruiting, recruiting potential for airmen and soldiers and then retention. And one of our, one of General Knight's objectives and our objectives is professional development. So having a tool that allows folks to continue their education is helpful in both their guard military career and, whatever they're doing on the outside if if they happen to be a traditional person. I know one of the the pieces key pieces from our perspective this year, and since twenty twenty two was, I believe it was Act one hundred and forty, but basically the test case to introduce a second bachelor's degree and a master's degree. And unless the legislature, hopefully takes the action that, seems to be in the language now, that will sunset at the end of this legislative session at the end of June. And we view, those additions to real positive additions to the Vermont National Guard Tuition Benefit Program. Program. I know Mr. Tom Little from VSAC was with you yesterday. We're great partners. We're in great partnership with the fine folks at VSAC. We've seen in a year over year steady increase in the whole program since its inception, particularly with SugarMiner National Guard Tuition Benefit Program and the master's degree. In academic year twenty twenty two, twenty three, seven of our soldiers and airmen took, took advantage of that. And then the very next year, academic year, twenty three, twenty four, the one behind us, eighteen, folks were enrolled in the, in the master's program. So obviously, well over a fifty percent growth. I think we can actually market it market it a little bit better. And, man, if you could put up this chart for folks [Annie Gianni]: to see, you know We we have we [Chair Peter Conlon]: have it all. [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: We do have it. Devices. So So I so I'm looking at the same thing you all, and and and, basically, it's similar information that's just presented in in slightly different, formats. But you can see from the beginning of the program, you know, kind of growth. You know, there's a little bit of a burp there, twenty nineteen to twenty twenty, but I think as more folks found out about the program, obviously, more soldiers and airmen, started to use it. So that top number of parentheses is the total of soldiers and airmen that use the program in that academic year. So if you look at the last two academic years, very similar usage, a hundred and seven in twenty two, twenty three, and then a hundred and eight. The dollar amount went down slightly, and that was really just by folks choosing, you know, potentially CCV over UBM and that kind of thing. So we've been very pleased with the usage. Anecdotally, I spend time, on the drill weekends, visiting with our soldiers and airmen. I think a couple of months ago, I was with folks from our medical group. So a table about this many people, and a lot of the younger airmen and I like to go around and ask them where they're from and what brought them into the Guard. But at least five in a row said that it was the Tuition Benefit Program that drew them into the Guard. And then since joining, you know, they've really been happy with joining the team and their mission in our medical group and that kind of thing. So just anecdotally, that told me that, boy, you know, this is hitting our objectives, bringing motivated young Vermonters and folks from outside of Vermont into the Vermont Guard to do both our federal mission and then our state mission when called upon. And as you know, we've been called upon to respond to too many floods recently. But we need to have those spaces filled to be able to respond in appropriate manner to the fellow citizens of Vermont. So back to the master's program, we would hope that that does get baked into the bill so it becomes an enduring tool for our an option for our airmen and soldiers to use. The next piece you can take a look at would be this this chart. Yeah. And then color coded there. So you can see that growth I talked about on the on the master's degree usage. Obviously, the most usage is with the undergraduate degree. So the bachelor's degree is is in the gray there and then associate's degree. But all of those options to include certificate programs, I think, are really important because we have folks that may not be college bound post high school, but would take, advantage of, like a welding certificate or something like that. So the program has a lot of flexibility built into it. Not as many people using the the second bachelor's, but we've still had a couple for those two years that was available. And we see that growing in the years to come. And for, Representative, for the reasons you mentioned, it's just people wanting to continue their education. And perhaps they got a bachelor's degree in something that they're not as interested in as anymore. And this allows them to serve and really reap that benefit. And then we get the benefit of them being active soldiers near the car. So that's really the point I wanted to make. And I'm available for any questions that you you might have. [Chair Peter Conlon]: So, did I hear you right that the the master's degree and the under master's degree is already in place through another act. And it was going to be sunset. Right? [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: Yeah. Yeah. Additional. We're not I said, I believe don't quote me. I believe it was, and I I'm not a legislature legislator, but, from the original Vermont National Guard Tuition Benefit Program, from the bill that was passed in a law, I believe it was called Act one hundred and forty, but I couldn't be wrong with, in twenty twenty two. So the program, the base bill was, was passed in twenty eighteen Sure. Or twenty seventeen, then became effective twenty eighteen for that academic year. So then in twenty twenty two, is when we, that was the first year that that master's in the second bachelor's became available. And then yes, and without legislative action, it would no longer be available to soldier mayor at the end of this June. Yes. Let's [Chair Peter Conlon]: just say. And there's also included in that language, some new language that talks about not to exceed twice the in state tuition rate. With that being added in there, or is there any need for more appropriations, more money for this program? [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: At this time, we don't think so. You know, the the appropriation that we had up until next year's has been about one point three million dollars in in in change. And so as you've seen that incremental growth, we've used more and more over time, but we haven't had a situation where, we're coming back to the legislature as of yet. General Knight's hope, my hope, and the rest of our leadership is that more and more airmen and soldiers will take advantage of it. And we'll certainly come back to the legislature with enough time to say, hey, we're seeing a really increase in usage in this and then try to deal with the budgetary issues then. [Chair Peter Conlon]: Right. Yeah. Because I know of one of the concerns on if more money was needed at this point, it was gonna get a little a little tricky. Right. But any questions from you? [Annie Gianni]: Awesome. I'm wondering how many are getting their degrees out of state. I know a couple of years ago, we extended it so that if there if we didn't offer a program in state, they could get it out of state. Do you have any idea? I don't [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: have the exact numbers, ma'am, but but it's, it's really great. That's a really great piece of of the bill that allows that flexibility. For example, like a physician's assistance program. I know that we have a soldier or airman that that couldn't find that program here in in Vermont and is able to do at least the pre work for that in another, and it might be UNH or another institution. I know that there was somebody that was attending Duke that was one of our members that was in a program that was not offered by the University of Vermont, the State University of Vermont, the Vermont State System or CCV. So, I don't think it's, the numbers are huge, but, I think that having that flexibility in the languages is very helpful because, in, both the Army Guard and the Air Guard, we have about a quarter of our membership. It depends on exit flows that aren't Vermont residents, that they travel. And we use the term traditional guardsmen as our part time guardsmen and women, which is really the heart and soul of the Guard. They'll travel to the one weekend a month, two weeks a year. And then many of them, if they've been in for a few years have done deployments or state active duty in response to like the COVID pandemic. But that flexibility, you know, we're very proud of our culture in the Vermont National Guard. So we have, for example, I have a Lieutenant Colonel that works for me at headquarters. And, he started in the Maine Guard, but he liked one of our cyber defense programs that we offer here, militarily. So he joined the Vermont Guard. He drives by two Maine National Guard units and the New Hampshire unit to get to to Vermont every drill weekend. So about a four and a half, hour drive. He's the assistant town manager of South Portland, Maine. But we find that over and over that once people join us, whether it's directly in the Guard or from the active duty, that they like the culture that both the Vermont Army Guard and the Air Guard have. And, and they will travel long distances to get here. So we have folks that actually live in Florida and Texas and, luckily we've had the federal resources to help them travel here so we can make the drills nice. [Speaker 3 ]: You have any idea of the breakdown of folks taking advantage of the program who are Vermont residents versus gardeners who might be living out of the state? [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: Yeah. I'd say that the majority are are Vermont residents for sure. And I would say that with the master's program, that's data that we can look into and maybe email you because I certainly can get that data because it does get broken down by what institution they're in and then what the degree program they're working on. So, but majority is our Vermonters. [Chair Peter Conlon]: Any other questions? Great. We appreciate you coming in. This will definitely help us out Of course. Expedite things when the bill comes back our way, but we appreciate [Brigadier General Hank Harter]: And anytime we will be available in the general matter myself or other subject.
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