Meetings
Transcript: Select text below to play or share a clip
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Alright. You're welcome. Welcome to House Education. April 9, the committee continues its discussion on s two thirty two. It's the library fill that we are looking at. We have a guest from Vermont after school this afternoon. And since much of this bill deals with after school and libraries, looking forward to your testimony. Welcome, Nicole. If you'd introduce yourself, we're ready to listen.
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: Absolutely. Good afternoon, everyone. For those I haven't had the chance to meet yet, my name is Nicole Miller. I'm the executive director here at Vermont After School. And I'll start by sharing a little bit about our organization and then talk about our support for this bill. So Vermont After School is a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen afterschool and summer programs to empower youth and to expand access so that any child or youth in Vermont who wants to attend an afterschool or summer program can do so. Our organization works directly with all types of afterschool and summer programs to provide professional development, tools, resources, and more. And that includes programs such as childcare programs, schools, public libraries, parks and recreation programs, YMCAs, museums, teen centers, the whole gamut. And so I'm also a member of the After School and Summer Advisory Committee created through Act 78. Vermont After School is in full support of this bill, and we're really grateful for all the work and effort to find a compromise that happened on the Senate side. Libraries are a well known community resource, and as this bill's funding share, have long been a part of the after school and summer programming options in Vermont's communities. I ran a program in the Hardwick area for over a decade through our school system, and our community libraries were huge partners that helped us provide a full year of after school and summer programming. And so I'm a huge tip. We really think that this amendment or that this version of the bill does several things. You know, it does clarify the eligibility a little bit to make it really explicit and clear that that libraries and other entities are able to apply. It updates the after school and summer advisory committee's membership, which we're in full support of as well. It also tasks the after school and summer advisory committee to annually solicit public input on the grant program and provides an opportunity to ensure that smaller community based organizations, especially in those in more rural parts of the state, including our most rural public libraries, able to apply for these funds. And so we generally believe that this bill supports the intent of the After School and Summer Special Fund, and it is in line with the goals of establishing universal after school and summer programs, regardless of where young people might live and any other factors. And so we're just really here to say that we support the bill. We'd love for it to move forward and to also express support for House Education, for all of your work over the years on after school and summer programming. And certainly, I'm happy to answer any questions you all might have.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Thank you very much, Nicole. In your work, I think one of the just the main issue of the bill, I wouldn't say with the bill, of the bill is just the perceived challenge in applying for funding from the after school fund. Is that is that something you can comment on in terms of its challenges or perceived challenges?
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: Sure. You know, from time to time, I have heard from some of the smaller programs in the state that they they don't feel like they can apply for the funds or they don't have the capacity to. Certainly our role as Vermont After Schools to really spread the word about the opportunities. We do that through our e newsletter and through many other ways. And so we try to stress to anyone that we might talk with that they are eligible for the grant program and that they should take a look at it, that they should contact the agency of education to receive some technical assistance and application processes. But from time to time, I have heard from some programs that that it has been a concern.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: In your experience running a program for ten years in Hardwick, you said you had a lot of partnerships with libraries. I'm just curious, did money flow to the libraries for their partnership Through those
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: in our in our grant program, in our example, they did not. So they were volunteer, you know, opportunities that allowed us to stretch our grant dollars as far as we could. And so they provided those services for free. I know that's not always the case across the state. That was just our dynamic in the program that I ran.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Great. Thank you. It's curious just to know, because, Beth, you're the second person to talk about libraries partnering, but actually not receiving anything for that partnership. Other than a hearty thank you and a feeling of goodwill. All right, committee, other questions? Representative Long?
[Emily Long (Member)]: Just following up on that question, when a grant is applied for with partners in it, is that stated clearly that they're just volunteer partners? How does that how do they fit into the partnership of a grant that you're writing?
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: That's a really great question. Will say so the when I ran a program which was almost a decade ago at this point, it was a twenty first century community learning centers grant. And so in that application, we did not have to list whether they were volunteer or not. I don't I can't speak explicitly for the Act 78 grant, whether there are programs that are identifying whether that money is flowing or not. I'm not sure because I don't look at those applications myself.
[Emily Long (Member)]: Okay, thank you.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Fair to say that in the world of applying for after school program grants, that partnerships are actually looked at very positively in that. So libraries actually, not only would, let's say a school district wanna have a library be part of it, that that for for what they provide, but that's also looked on favorably.
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: Absolutely. I think it is part of the know, I I heard Johannes's testimony from yesterday mentioning the after school in summer Oh, I'm gonna forget the exact name of the report. The Universal After School Legislative Committee that was formed right before, right after the tax dollars were set aside. So I know in that report as well as in the agency's application now, that there is a strong emphasis on making sure that there are community partners. From my experience as a program director, we couldn't have done our work without partners of all sorts of sizes and makeups. Those were really critical for our organization.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Any other questions from the committee? Great. Thank you for weighing in, I assume, a second time. They've almost said the same thing in the Senate. Anyway, very much appreciated.
[Nicole Miller (Executive Director, Vermont After School)]: Thank you so much. Take care of you all.
[Peter Conlon (Chair)]: Thank you. Committee, that concludes our work for the day. We will be back on the floor tomorrow, and then we will probably be watching me, so you all will probably be watching me presenting to appropriations and then those who follow the appropriations disorder. Review what we've done, hear their questions, and then they're gonna take up the ways and means work next Tuesday. But I'm gonna present, then legislative council is gonna present, and then I assume there'll be questions. I answer the floor. Right after the floor. At 10:45. 10:47.