The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back! Leap Day is showing up on a school day, which means there are great learning resources available for early education, elementary, middle school, and high school students.
This week is also Public Schools Week, and Vermont’s House of Representatives will read a resolution in support of our schools on Tuesday, February 27 at 10 am. Plus, afterwards there will an ice cream social at noon on the statehouse steps. Word on the street is that the House Education on Committee will be wearing Red for Ed.
This issue covers many topics that are immediately useful like research on whether ChatGPT is prompting more cheating, a workshop on better storytelling, and unsettling parallels between the state’s education funding problems and, well, zombie movies. Be sure to check out the new arts-integrated curriculum from Clemmons Family Farm!
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
Yes, People Like You. Harvard Business Review reports on nearly a decade of research on the “liking gap,” the flawed belief that people don’t like us as much as they actually do, and how to overcome these self-critical thoughts.
Innovative Solutions for Mental Health in Schools. Thank you VTDigger for publishing the 802 Ed editor’s op-ed about the current crisis in schools and several projects underway to help our youngest Vermonters! This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Neither Nor. Vermont’s Senate is considering S.55, which in its current form would require school boards to hold their meetings not as in-person, not as on-line, but instead as hybrid, requiring a physical meeting space that is equipped with technology to allow for on-line participation.
Fasten Your Seatbelts. Education Week offers advice to school leaders who are the driver’s seat after a school merger: “It can take years of planning to get it right.”
Drop in FAFSA. The National College Attainment Network is tracking Vermont’s FAFSA submissions through February 9 and reports about 33% fewer seniors than last year have submitted their forms for college financial aid, with Winooski’s numbers up from last year but Middlebury and others way down.
Two for One Deal? No Thanks. Valley News shines a light on a brewing conflict in Hartford where the school board plans to have two superintendents on payroll next year, and the head-to-head between board members and educators at a recent meeting: “We are not here to be propagandized to.”
Just Say No. Former finance and tax commissioner Tom Pelham makes the case in this VT Digger opinion piece that the anticipated tax increases, as much as 20%, are “unreasonable and intolerable.”
Getting Your Voice Heard. VSBA recently held a webinar on legislative advocacy, including several education bills though missing H.816, An act relating to mental health screenings in school-age youth.
What The Heck, AOE? The Vermont Political Observer takes issue with the on-going search for the next Secretary of Education, a process that is nearing its one-year anniversary (that’s paper, right?) and in that time “things have meandered in a way reminiscent of a roadside DUI test.”
Haircut Or Else. According to the BBC, a Texas school made international news recently by suspending a student for his braided dreadlocks, despite the state having a law on the books like Vermont’s proposed H.363 that prohibits discrimination based on hair styles.
Students Aren’t Cheating, Actually. The 74 reassures school leaders that recent research suggests ChatGPT hasn’t had a significant impact on student cheating: “I don’t see us as saying AI is the best thing since sliced bread, but I also don’t think of us as saying AI is going to destroy humanity.”
“Violating Our Own Constitution.” Neil Odell writes a letter to a future generation in this VT Digger opinion piece, laying out the current “confusion and uncertainty” in the state’s education system and predicting the privatization of schools in the not too distant future.
Troubles in Rivendell. Valley News reports on the mid-year departure of Rivendell Academy’s principal who had led the school for 14 years, staff anxiety and low morale, and a school community that feels “undervalued by dysfunction and lack of transparency at the administrative levels of leadership.”
“We Will Not Be Making This Change.” The VTSU interim president pushed back on an alumni petition to replace the campuses’ Black Lives Matter and Pride flags with an American flag. “We have received the petition and are disappointed by it.”
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Kansas’s governor, recognizing the connection between access to higher education in prison and a decrease in recidivism, supported Pell-eligible programming in every state correctional facility.
School administrators in Alabama may soon be eligible for $15,000 stipends if they can demonstrate improved student outcomes.
Hawaii is looking to expand a free menstrual products program currently in public schools to include college campuses and education centers.
The Bureau of Indian Education recently opened a mental health hotline especially for schools that they fund.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged eight school shootings in 2024. “On Feb. 14, four students were shot and injured in the parking lot at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga., shortly after dismissal.” Total school shootings in 2023: 38. 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: Which is the higher priority for your school or schools? The responses were mostly equal in favor of School construction, Student mental health, and Staff turn-over, suggesting that there are a lot of unaddressed needs in Vermont’s schools these days.
This issue’s survey question: What legislative fixes do you anticipate to support school construction? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ New state-subsidized loans
✅ Direct investment through grants
✅ More deliberation but no action
Thank you to the school board member 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!
Job Listings
Assistant Principal. Berkshire Elementary-Middle School is seeking a dynamic and caring leader for a staff that values kindness, respect, and fun. Strong candidates will demonstrate a successful record of leading school improvement efforts around academic, social, and behavioral expectations for all learners. Sponsored by Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union
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 2,200+ readers. Sponsored by 802 Ed
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with about 400 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions in education, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, if you have had enough of Vermont winters, San Diego is looking for its next superintendent and Pacific Surf School has an ad up for a surf instructor. Flip a coin, right?
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
Historians will look back on the early days of 2024 and say: It all looked so normal and peaceful. The schools had no idea what was coming.
The first sign was that a meteorologist noticed an unnatural event, that the path of the solar eclipse was predicted to fall straight across the golden dome of the statehouse in Montpelier.
In the days leading up to it, school boards across the state started acting strangely. Instead of passing their normal budgets, they inflated their numbers by as much as five percent, eating away at the state’s education fund and, you guessed, eating away at the taxes that other towns will have to pay in a cannibalistic frenzy.
Sound familiar? It’s the education funding mess that Vermont has found itself in. And it’s also the basic plot line of a classic of modern cinema.
Yes folks, you read it here first. We are in a zombie movie.
It all started with a well-intentioned experiment. Take the relative weights we give to different kinds of students when it comes to funding, and use science to give those weights a recalibration to make things better. Right out of I Am Legend.
Next, school boards realized that the formula was out of control. Costs rose quickly and the legislators, bless their hearts, rushed through a new formula code-named H.850 to solve the problem but ended up making things worse: Remove the spending cap, subsidize some budgets, and give towns the choice to move their vote day. “Aaaaaaaaaa!” World War Z, check.
You know the speech: It’s a long shot, but we have to give this everything we’ve got. All hands on deck, pool our resources, and maybe, possibly, reallocate plus or minus $30 million in funding intended to test for carcinogenic PCBs in schools to pay for those new budget subsidies. Can we call an alien invasion movie like Independence Day zombie-adjacent?
What comes next in this possible future? In the post-apocalyptic zombieland of Vermont’s education funding, individual survivors will seek out other survivors (Walking Dead) and perhaps develop regional funding instead of the statewide system.
But then again, that would require coordination, cooperation, and trust. And everyone knows that zombies aren't good listeners.
Maybe it’s related, maybe not, but there are a growing number of school leader positions that have been posted in the past couple months at a rate of about two new positions per day. Do the exiting principals know something that we don’t?
The chart below tracks the number of openings for school leader positions in the 60 days prior to publication, presented as data points and a linear trend line. 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 school leaders who are making a change!
Hannah Parker, previously interim principal at Brattleboro Union High School, is now principal.
Kevin Briggs, previously principal at Essex Middle School, will be principal at Bakersfield Elementary Middle School this summer. He is taking over from Rhoda McLure.
Congratulations also to this colleague who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE’s Aithent Licensing System.
Brandon Blunk • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Rights Right Now. In honor of Black History Month, Clemmons Family Farm is sharing an arts-integrated African-American history curriculum on freedom songs of the civil rights movement. February 1 - March 29.
Better Storytelling. Just in time for the new and extended budget presentation season, Harvard Kennedy School is offering a workshop on how to improve storytelling skills. Noon - 1 pm, February 28.
UVM’s Master of Education in Special Education Program. Elevate your career in education with the University of Vermont's Master of Education in Special Education degree program. With opportunities for licensure and non-licensure routes, this nationally accredited and 100% online program allows you to customize your learning journey to match your career goals. Benefit from real-world preparation through internships and mentorship, and gain guidance from UVM's renowned faculty and local professionals. Full funding opportunities are available in addition to scholarships. Applications for the fall semester are accepted until March 15. Connect with an enrollment expert from our College of Education and Social Services to get started today. Sponsored by the University of Vermont, Professional and Continuing Education.
Preparing for The Eclipse. The Department of Libraries is hosting a roundtable to discuss resources and shares idea in preparation for the upcoming total eclipse. 2 - 3 pm, February 29.
NEH PD 4U. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is offering nearly four dozen summer programs for K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, from Shakespeare to the Space Age and more. Deadline is March 5. Thanks to a Congressional liaison for the tip!
Two-Day Workshop on Bullying. The Grand Lodge of Vermont Freemasons is offering an in-person workshop on bullying prevention and conflict management for educators. Barre Elks Club, 8:30 am - 4 pm, March 7 - 8.
Farm to School. Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture reimburses child care and afterschool programs up to 80% of the cost of a local farm share, for meals and snacks, sent home with children, or used in cooking activities. Deadline is March 8.
Experience College Life at UVM this Summer. UVM Summer Academy is an immersive, 4-week, for-credit academic program designed for high school students who have completed 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. Our program offers high school students the incredible opportunity to experience what it’s like to be in college during the summer, living on campus for two weeks while they learn. Participants will study alongside high school students from across the country, learn from renowned professors, and earn three transferable college credits. Students can choose from Health and Medicine courses taught by Larner College of Medicine faculty, as well as a new Intro to Forensics and Crime Scene Investigation course. A commuter option is also available for students who do not require on-campus housing. Applications are being accepted now. Sponsored by the University of Vermont, Professional and Continuing Education.
Opioid Overdose Prevention. VDH is offering narcan (naloxone), which can be used in response to a suspected opioid overdose, to schools in Vermont. Training is available 7 - 8:30 am, February 13 and 3:30 - 5 pm, March 11.
Vermont Folklife Archive. Learn how to use sound recordings as primary sources in an online workshop for educators. 3:30 - 5:30 pm, March 12.
Writing A Leadership Statement. CalWest is offering a webinar on writing a compelling educational and leadership philosophy for job applications, and useful also for school leaders to share with their staff and community. 7 - 8 pm, March 13.
Superintendent of the Year. VSA has opened nominations for the annual competition, with the update that this year anyone can nominate a superintendent. Deadline is March 15.
Supporting Afterschool Programs. AOE has published an RFP seeking assistance with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Deadline is March 18.
Educator Fair. University of Vermont, AOE, VPA, and many others are sponsoring an event to match schools and educator preparation programs with interested teachers, future teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators. Middlebury High School, 1 - 5 pm, March 22.
If You Missed It
School Pulse Panel on Mental Health. The U.S. Department of Education released results of its latest nationwide survey on student mental health, with only about half of schools reporting they could effectively provide mental health services to their students.
Strong Stories in Unexpected Places. Higher Ed Jobs gives good advice on how to highlight nontraditional experience on your resume and in job interviews. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Where Is Your SMOB? Vermont has a small SMOB mob, only 36 student members of the board (SMOBs) statewide, and VSBA offers resources to school board members to further promote this mutually beneficial role.
The 802 Ed brings 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, NAEYC National Association for the Education of Young Children, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, VEHI Vermont Education Health Initiative, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VREC Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: Sign up the clown in your life with the international clown egg registry, where Debbie the Egg Artist paints the clown’s likeness onto… you guessed it, an egg. I used to work as a circus clown, you bet this one is on my birthday wish list.