Vermont

Vermont’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan includes four statewide goals: the economy, affordability, vulnerability, and modernization. These priority areas were established by a 2017 Vermont executive order, which required all agencies “to establish the following cornerstones as their strategic and operational goals: growing the Vermont economy; making Vermont an affordable place to live, work, and do business; and protecting vulnerable Vermonters.” As required by a 2014 law and a related executive order, the state’s Chief Performance Officer annually reports data related to the state’s goals and fiscal transparency.

Vermont measures progress toward the goals of its five-year strategic plan, established by a 2017 Vermont executive order, through dashboards that track progress on the economy, affordability, vulnerability, and modernization. As required by a 2014 law and a related executive order, the Office of the Chief Performance Officer (CPO) also publishes annual Programmatic Performance Measure Budget Reports aimed at integrating strategic planning, performance management, and budgeting.

In 2017, Vermont’s Governor launched the Program to Improve Outcomes Together, (PIVOT) in conjunction with the Governor’s Government Modernization and Efficiency team. PIVOT combines outcomes-based improvement and Lean process improvement into a unified effort. Vermont’s CPO oversees the implementation of the continuous improvement effort, which is aligned with strategic outcomes and indicators enacted by the state legislature. PIVOT aims to “move the needle” on indicators aligned with the state’s strategic plan.

In 2018, the Vermont Agency of Education adopted four tiers of evidence, based on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), to inform the distribution of education funds, including federal education and state-funded grants (such as BEST/Act 230 and Flexible Pathways; see sample statement of evidence). The guidance states: “applying the same requirement to both federal and state grants will allow for greater consistency in the review and approval of grant applications.” In 2019, the Agency built on this guidance, creating the Vermont School Wellness Policy Guidelines and Implementation guide. This resource created the Local Wellness Policy (LWP) that informs program creation for local education agencies (LEAs), including requiring the use of evidence-based strategies in determining the policy’s goals.