The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back!
This issue of the 802 Ed covers many topics that are immediately useful like the latest on this year’s school budget votes, a recent drop in the number of vacancies for school health staff, and statehouse advocacy for phone-free schools. Be sure to check out the governor’s 176-page education plan presented as a haiku!
New to the lingo? At the suggestion of a reader we include a guide to common abbreviations, just scroll down past the news.
- Steven Berbeco, Editor
School Leadership
Deja Vu All Over Again. The governor’s education plan for Vermont, “very provocative” in the view of at least one committee chair, may not be all that new after all. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
The Chester Telegraph lays out the governor’s education plan from 2019 and compares it to the current proposal, as well as suggesting what may be coming up next.
The VPO wryly predicts this plan will “vanish slowly into the Great Lost Swamp of ill-begotten ideas.”
Whew. Vermont Public reports that most school budgets passed this year with over 90% getting over the finish line, a much rosier picture than last year.
Hold Up There. VT Digger passes on an update about the 60-day hiring freeze at University of Vermont: “I think that turmoil in Washington has kind of created challenges for everyone.”
Minimum Class Sizes And More. The VPO points out many problem areas of H.454, a House bill with only five sponsors that encapsulates much of the governor’s education reform proposal: “Here’s hoping the House Education Committee holds a rational, thorough discussion of H.454, and then says ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’”
Better Coaching. Edutopia offers suggestions on how to select an effective professional development facilitator, including a rubric that facilitators can use as a self-assessment.
Thou Shalt Learn. Stateline brings us up to date on the effort underway in several states to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
“It’s Arson.” The Hechinger Report zooms into the precarious situation of tribally-controlled schools in the era of the current presidential administration.
Getting Candid. Education Week interviews school leaders and teachers to dig into what gets morale up, and what brings it down: “Does anyone care how hard I worked today?”
Cut Loose. Seven Days VT gives the wider perspective of school districts and supervisory unions that made significant staff cuts when teeing their budgets up for the community’s vote.
Robbing Baby Peter to Pay Paul. VT Digger shines a light on the administration’s decision to “raid the child care fund to pay for General Fund spending” to the tune of $19 million.
Plowing Under The Past. School Administrator offers a panel response to the ethical dilemma of whether and how a teacher can offer a Native American land acknowledgement at the start of a U.S. History class.
Keeping Public Education Public. The Waterbury Roundabout covers a rally at the State House with diverse advocates for public education, including several students.
Street Math. The Hechinger Report translates a recent academic study by Nobel Prize winning economists into plain language, to further our understanding that mathematics is more than classroom learning and standardized assessments.
“Wrong Side of History.” VT Digger hands the pen to a Vermonter who takes issue with the governor’s proposal to end universal school meals: “No child should have to prove they are poor enough to deserve a meal.”
Asking for A Raise. Higher Ed Jobs suggests ways to approach an oftentimes sensitive conversation about increasing the salary when job duties have changed or expanded.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Legislators in West Virginia are coming up with new approaches to supporting disruptive students, as well as push-back from the school board association.
Students in Illinois recently offered testimony in support of a bill that would mandate school start no earlier than 8:45am.
School Shootings in 2025. Education Week’s tracker has logged three school shootings in 2025: “On March 4, a 16-year-old student was shot and killed after being chased onto Lansdowne High School grounds in Baltimore, Md.” Total school shootings in 2024: 39. As a reminder, DPS and AOE operate an anonymous school safety tip line for students, school staff, and their community: calling 1-844-SAFE4VT; texting SAFE4VT to 274637; or online at safe4vt.org. For questions about school safety training in Vermont, contact Rob Evans.
Reader Survey
In each issue we ask a survey question to get a sense of what is on our readers’ minds. Then, the following issue, we report back on what we learned.
Last issue we asked: Should the state rather than local school boards determine graduation requirements? Responses were strongest for The state should take on this responsibility, with few readers selecting Lets keep this local to school boards and almost no one choosing Why have graduation requirements at all?
This issue’s survey question: How important are universal school meals? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ I will fight, fight, fight for them
✅ Great, but not my top priority
✅ Let’s use that funding for something else
Thank you to the reader from Rutland who suggested that survey question. What’s on your mind? Suggest a survey question to find out how your colleagues respond in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed!
Listen Up
Check out the 802 Ed’s conversation-style podcast! Generated by Notebook LM
Job Listings
Supercharge The Applicant Pool. The market for school staff in Vermont is fierce and it’s important to stand out when attracting quality candidates. Why get wedged in among thousands of open positions on SchoolSpring? Your opportunity can stand out in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed, dropping into the Inbox of thousands of readers. Sponsored by 802 Ed
School Leader Vacancies. Latest report from VPA counts 36 school leader positions, like principal and assistant principal, that are turning over for next school year.
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with more than 500 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions in Vermont, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the State of Vermont is recruiting for an Assistant Superintendent with a special focus on discipline… at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility.
Thank The Team
You read it, you love it, and now is a good time to say thanks. Cover our coffee budget! Writing, editing, researching… all of that is caffeine driven. Choose this option and the extra energy will go to finding a few more updates to share.
Note from The Editor
Early March brings Town Meeting Day: flannel, conversations about the weather, “I Voted” stickers, and many other eccentricities of our communities in the Green Mountain State.
I had a front row seat this year as a poll worker, handing ballots to neighbors and friends. Here’s the mom of my kid’s friend; there’s the dog that keeps peeing on my azaleas. Our school budget passed thank goodness, community members were elected to office, and even “Vermin Supreme” received one write-in vote.
Town Meeting Day is an opportunity for us to show up for each other, our towns, and especially our schools. I always leave with a sense of connection that lasts at least until the next time someone cuts me off in traffic.
All of this is in stark contrast to how I am feeling about education across the country.
Significant changes are underway in the U.S. Department of Education. While cast as an effort to “send education back to the states,” it looks more like a rapid dismantling of the data center, federal protections for children with disabilities, student loan programs, and more.
Instead, the department has launched a website with the no-nonsense URL of EndDEI.ed.gov, to report “illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning.” Critics have been calling this a “snitch line.”
It’s kind of like a Town Meeting Day where the budgets are voted down and municipal and school staff are laid off. Also, everyone is handed a paintball gun, but not with rainbow colors.
It makes me wish that education’s heaviest problems were a dog that waters azaleas.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions for school-based health staff staff in Vermont in the past 90 days, presented as data points and no trend line this time. Data from SchoolSpring.
Pass It On
Like what you are reading? Hit the button below to send a copy to a colleague, friend, neighbor, your boss… whoever!
Colleagues on the Move
Congratulations to these colleagues who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE.
Derek Williams • Superintendent
Tiffini Marano • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Superintendent of The Year. VSA has opened nominations for extraordinary education leaders. Deadline is March 14.
Safety Training. AOE recently posted an RFP for expansion of school behavioral threat training. Deadline is March 17.
Supporting Protective Factors. Vermont Afterschool is offering in-person Thrive training, a strengths-based approach for supporting youth ages 9 to 24. 10 am - 4 pm, March 11 and March 18.
Parent Survey. AOE has published an RFP to conduct a parent involvement survey in response to federal reporting requirements for special education. Deadline is March 18.
Youth Mental Health First Aid. Sunshine Silver Lining is offering no-cost certification in an evidence-based approach to supporting the mental health of school-aged youth. 5 pm - 8 pm, March 18/19 or March 25/26.
Water Water Everywhere.
The Smithsonian Science Education Center recommends its freshwater access game for grades 3-6, for classrooms looking to celebrate World Water Day on March 22.
State of Vermont posted RFPs for workshop delivery on Drinking Water Asset Management and Water System Rates, both due March 28.
Checkmate. The State Scholastic Chess Championships is open to students in grades K-12. Saturday, March 29 at Lamoille Union High School. Registration closes March 23.
Bingo. AOE and the Vermont Lottery are accepting proposals for school education technology projects to receive a $15,000 award. Deadline is March 30.
Snap! VDH has published an RFP for nutritional education services related to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, valued at more than $300,000. Deadline is April 11.
If You Missed It
The Big Plan. The governor’s proposal “to transform Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems” weighs in at 176 pages. For those with less time on their hands, ChatGPT summarizes it as this haiku: Vermont’s schools reformed, Five districts to serve all students. Funding based on need.
Phone-Free Schools. Students recently filled a House Education committee room to advocate for legislatively mandated limitations to cell phone use in schools. More on this from WCAX.
ED Out The Door. The newly minted U.S. Secretary of Education wasted no time in posting a public message about the coming elimination of the department: “This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students.” Check out this tracker for the latest updates on the fate of U.S. Department of Education and its programs.
Pi Day. Don’t forget that March 14 is 3-14 and celebrated in many different ways among math aficionados for its connection to the most famous of the irrational numbers.
Since 2021 the biweekly 802 Ed has brought together the latest from Vermont's associations for principals, superintendents, and school board members, as well as state and national education agencies. We hope that you'll find something useful in each issue and welcome comments or suggestions for upcoming issues: editor@802ed.com.
Abbreviation list: AASA School Superintendents Association, ADM Average Daily Membership, AHS Agency of Human Services, AOE Agency of Education, CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDD Child Development Division, CVTSE Coalition for Vermont Student Equity, DAIL Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, DCF Department for Children and Families, DMH Department of Mental Health, DPS Department of Public Safety, ED U.S. Department of Education, FERPA Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, NAEP National Assessment of Education Progress, NAEYC National Association for the Education of Young Children, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, SEL Social Emotional Learning, VEHI Vermont Education Health Initiative, VOCALE Vermont Organization of Classics and Language Educators, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VPO Vermont Political Observer, VREC Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VSBIT Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust, VSBPE Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: Americans eat way more cheese than Russians. Who knew?