Students in older Vermont schools could wait until 2035 for PCB tests

Students and teachers in many older Vermont school buildings could wait years longer for mandatory testing for toxic chemicals known as PCBs. A proposal in the Vermont Legislature moves the deadline for indoor‑air testing in covered schools from July 1, 2027 to Aug. 1, 2035.

The requirement itself stays in place. Public schools and approved or recognized independent schools built or renovated before 1980 would still have to test their indoor air for polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, chemicals once widely used in building materials but now linked to health risks.

The timeline stretches to 2035

The testing program is run by the Department of Environmental Conservation in consultation with the Department of Health and the Agency of Education. State law already directs money from Vermont’s Environmental Contingency Fund to support the work.

Up to $4.5 million from that fund is designated to complete indoor‑air PCB testing in the covered schools. The proposal extends the timeline for finishing those tests, giving districts until 2035 instead of the current 2027 deadline while the state continues the testing program.

Paying for cleanup once PCBs are found

Alongside the deadline change, the bill establishes a School Polychlorinated Biphenyl Program Fund to support investigation, mitigation and remediation when PCB contamination appears in school buildings. The fund would be administered by the Secretary of Natural Resources, with work carried out through the Department of Environmental Conservation in coordination with health and education officials.

Grants from the fund could pay for steps such as investigation of contamination, developing management plans, installing mitigation measures, or carrying out full corrective action plans to remove PCBs from buildings. When testing conducted by the state leads to required cleanup, the grants could cover the full cost of investigation and remediation as long as money is available.

Money behind the program

The new fund would also collect repayments if a school later wins damages or other financial awards tied to PCB contamination after the state already paid for investigation or cleanup. In that case, the recovered money would be returned to the program fund.

Taken together, the proposal slows the testing schedule for older school buildings while creating a clearer pool of state money meant to handle what happens after testing reveals a problem.