The Senate Education Committee favorably recommended Zoe Sanders as the next Secretary of Education on a 3-2 vote Wednesday.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on Sanders' confirmation next week. He needs support from a majority of 30 members, but there is currently one vacancy in the chamber due to the resignation of former Sen. Dick Mazza.
Committee chairs Sen. Brian Campion (D-Bennington), Sen. David Weeks (R-Rutland) and Sen. Terry Williams (R-Rutland) also voted to support Sanders.
Sens. Martine Gulick (D-Chittenden Center) and Nader Hashim (D-Windham) voted against Sanders' nomination.
The vote came a day after the commission held a 90-minute hearing for Sanders, who was appointed by Gov. Phil Scott last month and has served in the role since April 15.
Cabinet appointments in Vermont are typically approved by the Senate, but Sanders' appointment has sparked considerable opposition from lawmakers and educators.
Sanders' resume has drawn harsh criticism, particularly his years on the board of Charter Schools USA, a for-profit corporation based in Florida.
Her most recent role was a three-month stint as chief strategy and innovation officer for Broward County Public Schools in Florida, her only experience working directly in a public school district.
“I left the hearing yesterday feeling that some answers were missing,” Hashim said before Wednesday's vote. “I felt like he lacked substance,” he said, pointing to Sanders, who was the only senator to explain his position before the vote and refused to elaborate on his education policy ideas.
Wednesday's vote came at the same time that Vermont's NEA, the state teachers union, sent an email to its members asking their local senators to vote “no” on Sanders' confirmation.
“Instead of offering a vision for public schools, the candidates offered jargon-filled platitudes,” the message said.
After Tuesday's hearing, committee members publicly discussed their initial thoughts on how Sanders handled the questioning.
“When she came here, I was impressed by the depth of her knowledge. She had clearly researched Vermont,” Campion said. “Maybe I'm completely missing something here, but I'm impressed.”
Williams similarly spoke favorably of Sanders, calling her “very level-headed” during the hearing.
Gulick, who asked Sanders most of the questions, said he wants the next secretary to offer a more substantive vision for Vermont's public education system.
“I didn't hear an answer. I couldn't get the meat I wanted there, so I was disappointed,” she said.
