“So, the good news is, we have highly little debt,” Sen. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, the Senate Education Committee chair, said last month during a discussion of Vermont’s education funding model, a statement that followed the dismissal of ethics complaints alleging improper influence in the passage of Act 73.
The Vermont Senate Ethics Panel in January dismissed two complaints filed against Bongartz and Sen. Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, finding no unethical conduct under state Senate rules. The complaints, brought by Geo Honigford, a board member of Friends of Vermont Public Education, centered on allegations that the senators improperly advocated for private schools with which they were affiliated during negotiations over the education reform bill, now known as Act 73. Beck is a teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy, even as Bongartz previously served for almost two decades on the board of Burr and Burton Academy.
The ethics complaints arose after lawmakers worked overtime to finalize Act 73, a wide-ranging bill that set new limits on public funding eligibility for independent schools and the tuition rates they could charge. Both Bongartz and Beck held key positions on the conference committee tasked with reconciling the House and Senate versions of the legislation. Honigford alleged that the senators used their positions to benefit the private schools they were connected to, a claim the Ethics Panel ultimately rejected.
Beck, speaking in June 2025, dismissed the allegations as unfounded, stating that advocating for local schools was a fundamental responsibility of a senator. “Every senator has a connection to their school districts, to their schools,” Beck said, adding, “They’re going to advocate for their schools. I would expect nothing less.”
The passage of Act 73 followed a period of intense debate over the future of Vermont’s education system, particularly regarding the state’s town tuitioning system. This system allows families to use public funds to send their children to approved independent schools if their local public school does not offer a particular program or grade level. Bongartz and Beck have consistently defended the town tuitioning system, a position that drew criticism from public education advocacy groups throughout the legislative process.
The dismissal of the ethics complaints did not quell concerns among some regarding the influence of private school interests in Vermont’s education policy. The debate over Act 73 and the allegations of ethical conflicts highlighted the complex interplay between public and private education in the state, and the challenges of balancing the needs of different stakeholders.
As of February 21, 2026, the Vermont Senate has not announced any further review of the issues raised by the ethics complaints. Bongartz continues to chair the Senate Committee on Education, and is involved in ongoing discussions regarding the implementation of Act 73.
