The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont education policy and practice
Welcome back!
This issue of the 802 Ed covers many topics that are immediately useful like schools as “sensitive locations” for immigration enforcement, legislation to support students as voting school board members, and what’s going on with declining student enrollment and rising costs. Be sure to check out the latest on the nationwide roll-back of DEI prohibitions in public schools!
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
Salary Expectations. Higher Ed Jobs suggests a rule of thumb on how to respond to the money question during an interview.
Gavel vs. Ban, Gavel Wins. New Hampshire Public Radio notes that a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit after the U.S. Department of Education dropped enforcement of the Trump administration’s ban on DEI programs in public schools, effectively ending the nationwide policy.
Tree Lovin’ 101. New York Times profiles a college freshman seminar that requires students to spend time with a tree of the student’s choice: “Imagine a semester devoted to connecting two organisms: a person (you) and a tree (not you).” Gift link
Tee Shirt Tightrope. School Administrator hands the pen to an attorney who offers advice on how to balance students’ free speech rights with school disruptions. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Zombie School. Vermont Standard follows a hotly contested town meeting vote on a $110+ million bond for new schools that serve more than two dozen sending districts: “[When talking about the building] I use the analogy of a zombie: parts of the body are falling off one at a time. That’s what we’re encountering now, I wake up every morning wondering, ‘… Will I be able to open the doors?’”
“Sensitive Locations.” Seven Days VT reports on a Senate bill that would prohibit warrantless civil arrests in schools, among other places, while The VPO had harsh words for the two senators who voted against the bill.
Cameras in The Cross-Hairs. The 74 investigates police departments across the country that have been accessing school security cameras to help federal immigration agents.
Worksheet vs. Screen Time. Education Week picks up the debate between traditional worksheets and low-quality educational technology, which is more harmful to student learning?
Power of Small Schools. The Hechinger Report digs into research on school size, finding a dramatic difference when it comes to college enrollment.
Where Are The Kids? Seven Days VT tracks the sharp drop in Vermont’s public school enrollment over the past two decades, leaving districts with far fewer students and rising per-pupil costs.
Learning from Bad Bunny. Education Week offers an opinion piece on school leadership lessons that can be drawn from the Super Bowl halftime show sensation.
Student Suffrage. VT Digger reports on H.640, a bill that would give voting rights to student representatives on school boards, though with potential conflicts of interest: “You don’t want students to fire their own teacher.”
Jawn of Engagement. Education Week hands the pen to a teacher educator who explains a method of priming a lesson using Philadelphia’s tradition of Black history education leadership.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students. Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Kansas legislators are considering a bill that would require fentanyl prevention education and Naloxone in schools.
A bill in Washington would provide free or reduced price transit fares for community college students
School Shootings in 2026. Education Week’s tracker has logged two school shootings in 2026. “On Feb. 10, a woman was shot and killed on school grounds just outside Palmetto Elementary School in Palmetto, Ga.” Total school shootings in 2025: 18. 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 Sunni Erikson.
Buzz On The Street
This sections highlights recent op-eds and letters to the editor about education.
Heidi Schumacher contends that schools cannot tackle rising chronic student absenteeism on their own and need broad community support to address the underlying social and health challenges that keep kids from learning.
Mary Alice Bisbee argues that skyrocketing health insurance costs for education staff are squeezing school budgets and should be removed from education funding: “There is a simple solution.” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Alex Herzog says that for Vermont’s education transformation to actually support rural communities, it needs to better link schools with local workforce needs.
Jack Hoffman asserts that Vermont’s education governance debate shouldn’t fixate on maps or spending but instead focus on who holds decision-making power.
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 should Vermont’s education funding system emphasize? Responses were overwhelmingly strongest for Equity of opportunity across schools, with few readers selecting Cost containment and predictable taxes and almost no readers selecting Transparency and simplicity for voters.
This issue’s survey question: Should students have voting power on school boards? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Yes, student voice is very important
✅ No, students are too young to understand complex issues
✅ Maybe, it should be up to each school community
Thank you to the reader from Chittenden 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!
How Ya Doin’?
The start of the school year can be challenging for many reasons. It may be helpful to look for support around personal and professional issues. If you would like to schedule a time to talk with a rostered psychotherapist and VPA mentor, we can work on making small but significant steps that promote self-care, communication, and control. Sponsored by 802 Ed
Listen Up
Check out the 802 Ed’s conversation-style podcast! Generated by Notebook LM
Job Listings
Principal. Cabot School is seeking a collaborative, innovative principal to lead our outstanding preK-12, project-based learning community. We are especially interested in applicants with a successful track record of advancing student voice, interdisciplinary rigor, restorative and trauma-informed practices, and stewarding strategic growth. Sponsored by Caledonia Central Supervisory Union
Principal. Lake Region Union High School is looking for a dynamic, student-centered, and visionary leader who is ready to accelerate the school’s academic excellence and community pride. Successful applicants will demonstrate facility with instructional leadership such as evidence-based practices and data-informed decision-making. Closing date for applications is February 27. Sponsored by NESDEC
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 23 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 almost 600 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open jobs, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the federal Office of the Director of National Intelligence is hiring for a Protocol Officer, responsible for seating diagrams, guest lists, purchasing official gifts, and, presumably, napkin folding.
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
I can’t believe that I am actually writing this: Less UFOs, more school!
At the same time that the federal government is talking about declassifying UFO files and our state legislature is weighing a task force to study unidentified objects in the sky, the rest of us here on terra firma are staring down a very real, very terrestrial problem: our kids are way behind in school.
The recently released state education report card shows that the majority of Vermont students are “well below” grade-level goals in both math and English language arts. More than half of our public schools are not meeting performance expectations, and some have been identified for extra support because they are among the lowest-performing in the state.
I mean, come on. Vermont is getting its academic butt kicked by Mississippi and Louisiana.
If we can rally federal and state agencies to unearth the secrets of UFOs, surely Vermont can organize a way to spend our education funding for better outcomes.
The mistakes we make on Earth aren’t mysterious anomalies. They are measurable math and reading scores stuck below targets, and limping graduation rates.
Tracking unidentified objects in the sky gets attention because people are curious and because “unexplained” sounds exciting. But in education, we already know what’s unexplained: why so much of our education spending goes toward health care costs for school staff instead of anything remotely instructional.
We need to face the facts. Our students deserve far better results than we are getting. Let’s bring the same energy we use to study aerial mysteries down to Earth, where real students are trying to learn math and English and build strong futures.
We do not need another headline about lights in the sky. Instead, we need daylight on how healthcare costs are tilting our system out of orbit.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks number of open positions for special education staff in the past 90 days, presented as data points and a linear trend line. Data from SchoolSpring.
Pass It On
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Grants & Opportunities
Presidential 1776 Award. The U.S. Department of Education announced a national competition for high school students testing knowledge of the country’s founders, its Constitution, and the Revolutionary War. Online test available February 22 to 28.
AI in Vermont Schools. AOE is hosting a virtual workshop on the state’s framework for artificial intelligence in schools. 3:30 to 4:30 pm, February 25.
Aligning Pre-K. DCF has posted an RFP for a contractor to develop an integrated statewide framework for Universal Pre-K. Deadline is February 25.
Make A Pitch. The Mott Million Dollar Challenge invites K-12 students to submit a world-changing idea with a short video. Deadline is February 27.
Superintendent of the Year. The VSA has opened its award nomination process, noting that nominations can come from any person in the Vermont education community such as superintendents, principals, central office staff, teachers, school board members, and community members. Deadline is March 13.
Chess for Youth. Senator Bernie Sanders is hosting a chess event for grades 1 to 12 to learn how to play and improve their skills. Lunch included. Vermont State University’s Judd Hall in Randolph, 11 am to 4 pm, March 14.
More Chess for Youth. The annual Vermont State Scholastic Chess Championships for grades K to 12 will be held at Lamoille Union High School. March 28.
If You Missed It
Ramadan and Eid. Several classroom resources are available to help explain the Muslim holy month that started last week, and perhaps also fill in a few blanks for school staff who wonder why there are two Eids every year.
College for Free. Really. The owner of the former Green Mountain College campus is giving it away: 115 acres, lots of buildings, wowzers.
Vermont’s Child Care Revolution. The New York Times produced a catchy video story that profiles the state’s innovative child care investments.
Twelve Mil for The Littles. Vermont recently secured a $12 million federal grant to strengthen and unify its early childhood system, with cross-agency partners leading the work and launching a public webpage to share progress and updates.
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 and many other news sources. 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, AOE Agency of Education, CTE Career and Technical Education, DCF Department for Children and Families, DMH Department of Mental Health, DPS Department of Public Safety, FERPA Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, NAEP National Assessment of Education Progress, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, SEL Social Emotional Learning, UVEI Upper Valley Educators Institute, 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: On a personal note, the 802 Ed’s editor is now officially a source of record for The New York Times when it comes to dating. #rule 22