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 updates on major policy proposals for the state’s education system, national changes that affect curriculum and access to controversial books, and a “rapid response” grant for schools. Be sure to check out the full policy proposal from AOE!
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
Recruiting Better Applicants. Harvard Business Review offers practical advice on how to improve on the applications coming in for a vacancy, through writing a better job description.
Rejiggering Vermont Ed. News is out about a proposal to change the state’s systems of education governance and finance.
AOE recently posted a video presentation for legislators. There is also a policy memo and slide deck.
Seven Days VT pulls together the policy’s pieces, as well as the reaction to the proposal from the teachers’ union: “It doesn’t explain how these changes would be better for students.”
Vermont Public lays out the dozen or so proposed changes together with a list of “What’s unknown.”
Tutoring And Absenteeism. The Hechinger Report highlights the optimism that tutoring may help keep students in school, and recent news that the connection may not be as strong as had been hoped.
Hug Diplomacy. Education Week lays out the benefits of giving high-fives to students and other ways to connect with them especially after a break from school.
Sanctuary Schools. VT Digger hands the pen to the state’s Teacher of the Year, who advocates for passing a sanctuary school policy: “Of course we need this. Kids cannot learn if they are scared.”
Down The Memory Hole. BBC reports on the new presidential administration’s order to remove lessons on women and black WWII pilots from standard Air Force training.
Perfect Storm. Valley News zooms into a district with superintendent and principal turnover, a challenging budget picture, and delayed plans to shutter one or both of the elementary schools: “We realize that it will take a bit more time before intelligent decisions can be made.”
“Collapse in The Well-Being of Young People.” Dartmouth News spotlights an economist who finds a significant shift since 2013 toward unhappiness, especially for young women, and points a finger at social media and smartphones. Thanks for the tip, Daybreak!
Power of The Arts. VT Digger recently published an opinion piece advocating for strengthening arts education: “The arts are more than just classes; they are a lifeline for students navigating today’s challenges, offering a reason to come to school, a sense of belonging, and the chance to be part of something greater than themselves.”
Time To Exclude Inclusion? The Hechinger Report tips us off to a paper on special education about to be published: “We’re not saying that the evidence indicates full inclusion cannot work. We’re saying that the evidence in terms of where to place these children is extremely weak, is fundamentally flawed, and no conclusions can be drawn from the evidence.” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Please, No “Public Spectacle.” VT Digger reports on a city’s letter to a school board member whom they allege doesn’t actually reside in the city: “The city respectfully requests you to voluntarily correct your voter registration and to resign from the school board.”
Digging into Senate Ed. The VPO questions the unusual step to reconstitute the Senate Committee on Education with an even number of Democrats and Republicans, especially at a time when education finance is at the forefront.
Making SEL Stick. Education Week offers suggestions from educators on how to help students learn social emotional learning skills.
“Nimble Coup.” The Chester Telegraph finds a foundation formula as the common thread among the legislature, the governor, and the Commission on the Future of Public Education, and highlights the public comments of a former ACLU chief who doesn’t mince words in warning about a “concerted effort” by the executive and legislative branches.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Several states besides Vermont are contemplating changes to their education funding formulas.
California suspended some state rules to support schools and students affected by the fires in Los Angeles.
New Hampshire’s education commissioner is advocating for the state to cover more of schools’ special education costs, after push-back from the public.
New York’s governor is proposing a ban on cell phones in school.
Kentucky’s education commissioner and superintendents are asking the legislature for more at-home learning days during the school year.
School Shootings in 2025. Education Week’s tracker has logged one school shooting in 2025: “On Jan. 22, one student was killed and two others were injured in the cafeteria of Antioch High School in Nashville, Tenn.” 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: What do think about the governor’s as-yet unreleased plan for education finance reform? Responses were strongest for I’ll wait to hear more before deciding and I have a bad feeling about this one, with just a few readers selecting Thank goodness someone has a plan.
This issue’s survey question: What would a snow day in January do for you? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Quick break to re-energize before diving back in
✅ Chaos as all my plans would need to be rescheduled
✅ Great opportunity to sleep.. late..
Thank you to the reader from Bennington County 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
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with close to 600 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, there is a seasonal superintendent opening without much in the way of required qualifications: “Willing to work with anyone stepping up into this position.” Oh drat, it’s to oversee a nine hole golf course.
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
Well, now. To be honest, education policy is usually exciting only to the few of us who geek out on small but significant changes to regulations. This time it’s a little different.
Heck no, it’s a lot different.
A recent administration policy memo has proposed sweeping changes to governance and finance of the state’s system of education. There is so much here and, to paraphrase a member of the administration, there is something in this plan for everyone to hate.
The proposal calls for all of the supervisory unions and districts to consolidate into five districts, a massive move away from the local control that Vermonters have fought tooth and nail for. We can imagine the Hunger Games-like winnowing of superintendents from more than fifty to only five.
School staffing would be standardized by formula. For example, every elementary school would receive funding for a little less than one full-time nurse for every 450 students. About nine in ten elementary schools in Vermont have fewer than 450 students, suggesting even fewer school nurses.
And schools may close, too, according to the memo: “Schools will be assessed based on financial viability and educational quality. Schools that fall short of these standards will be offered a range of options, including resource sharing or merging.”
What is motivating this proposal, you may ask? According to the policy proposal: “Vermont’s education spending is among the highest in the nation in per-pupil expenditures. […] However, this investment has not resulted in improved student outcomes.” Clearly we are not getting our money’s worth.
Plus, it seems, “governance inefficiencies also contribute to the challenges. Vermont has a disproportionately large number of school boards.” Too many cooks in the kitchen.
With all that, it’s not time to panic. As a superintendent recently assured their school community: “This proposal marks the beginning of the conversation, not the conclusion.” Lets hope that there is room for discussion on how, according to the policy memo, “strengthening state support and oversight will allow educators to focus on teaching and learning.”
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions for school leaders in Vermont in the past 60 days, 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! Data from VPA.
Jessica Deane was selected to be assistant principal at Harwood Union Middle and High School. She is taking over from Laurie Greenberg.
Congratulations also to these colleagues who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE.
Erin Davis • Superintendent
Bonnie Johnson-Aten • Superintendent
Davion Lewis • Superintendent
Gregory Schillinger • Superintendent
Debra Vescio • Superintendent, Principal
Angela King • Principal
Suzanne Workum • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Screenagers. Winooski Partnership for Prevention is offering free access to a documentary for elementary school children and their parents and educators, with focus on smartwatches in class, unhooking from and monitoring video gaming, social media pressures, what research shows is a healthy amount of screen time, and more.
Nominate An Educational Leader. Nominations are open for Principal of the Year. VPA honors school leaders at its Leadership Academy in August. Deadline is February 7.
Support in A Flash. Vermont Humanities offers “rapid response grants” of up to $1,000 for small projects with a short timeline that offer humanities experiences.
Who Made That? Clemmons Family Farm is offering no-cost integrated curricula with Black History Month lesson plans, for grades K-12.
Mental Health First Aid. Several virtual classes are available at no cost to support students and staff experiencing mental health or substance use challenges. February and new evening classes in March.
Millions for Distance Learning. The USDA recently announced a $40 million grant program to support the purchase of audio and video equipment so students can participate in classes virtually. Deadline is March 6.
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.
If You Missed It
Lunar New Year. The National Museum of Asian Art offers teaching resources for grades 5 to 12 to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
More Books The Better. The Vermont Department of Libraries recently submitted a final report to the legislature on expanding access to early childhood literacy resources, with specific recommendation for a book gifting program.
Foundation Formula? The Education Commission of the States published a cheat sheet on different models of education finance, though the examples may be a little dated.
Live And Direct from Montpelier. New website Golden Dome TV offers automatically generated transcripts from the state legislature and its committees.
“Book Ban Hoax.” The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that it dismissed more than a dozen “alleged ‘book banning’ cases” and dismissed the department’s book ban coordinator.
Getting in SHAPE. The State Board of Education has adopted new health and physical education standards based on the Society for Health and Physical Education standards, including more emphasis on mental health.
Top Teachers. AOE announced recently that six Vermont teachers have been honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Supporting Youth. Vermont Care Partners, an organization that advocates for community mental health agencies, reports that about 3,700 youth were served in 2024 by school-based services, which is less than five percent of the state’s total enrolled students.
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, 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, 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: In Mongolia, music fans sometimes hoof it across the plains to rave on horseback.