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 research on the true value of learning calculus, a 30-credit professional development opportunity, and advice on developing policies for personal devices at school. Be sure to check out the 802 Ed podcast!
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
Asking for More. Higher Ed Jobs offers advice on negotiating for salary and benefits, whether it’s for a new job or making the most of a contract renewal.
Tax Relief That Funds Schools. Seven Days VT summarizes a legislative proposal from the teachers’ union that responds to what senate leadership calls a “de facto emergency.” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
“Magic of Learning.” VT Digger gives the pen to a former facilities manager who has a short and direct message to the legislature in the current economic climate.
Students Feel They Don’t Matter. Waterbury Roundabout reports on the most recent statewide Youth Risk Behavior Survey and alarming data about mental health, safe sex, and a sense of belonging in the school community.
Principals’ Nightmares. Education Week lists out the top ten reasons that school leaders lay wake nervous at night: “We are no longer an educational institution - we are social services.”
Failed Promise of Calculus. The Hechinger Report digs into research that suggests a background in calculus is valued more by the college admission officers than the professors in the actual classrooms.
When Private Posts Are Public. School Administrator brings us up to date on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Lindke v. Freed and how it affects a school staff member’s protections under the First Amendment when posting on social media.
“A Grade with Three People?” VT Digger reports on a community conversation around closing a school, and a board faced with finding the best option: “We’re just uniquely situated in a really horrific spot.”
GOP View on Education. Vermont Edition’s Mikaela Lefrak interviews the incoming Senate minority leader on education funding and the connections to local control.
Secret Power of Speech Balloons. Notes From The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual goes deep in a recent review of several children’s books with recommendations applicable to Deaf and hearing kids alike.
Uncertain Future of Public Education. Chester Telegraph lays out the mission of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont, to submit a report by December 15 with cost containment recommendations, and news that the report will be late and won’t actually contain any recommendations.
Where Did The Seat Time Go? Education Week summarizes research that points to a myriad of small, largely avoidable interruptions that can reduce the amount of classroom learning time in a school.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
New Jersey’s legislature is taking its first steps toward making changes in the education funding formula.
Legislators in New Hampshire are considering a bill that would allow schools to sue a child’s parent or guardian for failing to address bullying at school.
A child care “incubator” in Connecticut is helping to increase capacity in early childhood education and care.
California apprenticeship programs offer child care to reduce students’ barriers to participation.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged 38 school shootings in 2024. “On Dec. 10, a male student was shot and injured outside on the grounds of R.J. Reynolds High School after dismissal in Winston-Salem, N.C.” 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: Do you have a count-down calendar to winter vacation? There was strong support for No, I take it as it comes and fewer readers selecting Yes, of course, with almost no readers selecting Not yet, but that’s a great idea.
This issue’s survey question: What will happen to school construction funding in the legislative session? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Millions will be appropriated to support school construction.
✅ Funding will be tied into other changes to education funding.
✅ Decisions will be postponed until the following year.
Thank you to the reader from Lamoille 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
The 802 Ed has a new conversation-style podcast. Check it out and let us know what you think! Generated by Notebook LM
Job Listings
Superintendent. Come lead an extraordinary team of educators and staff for our 1,200 amazing students in beautiful southeastern Vermont! Strong applicants are visionary leaders and student-centered strategic thinkers who excel at collaboration, communication, and problem solving. Sponsored by Springfield School District
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 more than 300 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, the State of Vermont is hiring a Fair and Impartial Policing Instructor, for “an individual that is excited by a challenge.”
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
Many people look to the end of December as a festive time. This year is no exception, with the serendipitous confluence of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa like a syzygy of good cheer.
I have noticed that fortunate events also appear a few weeks beforehand, from my perspective at least: birthdays of international celebrities like Taylor Swift and my daughter, the annual Bernie Sanders look-alike contest, and successfully getting the chicken coop shored up before the first snowfall.
Add to this list a recent invitation to talk with school leaders in a graduate education class. The topic was the intersection of education and the media, and I shared the Zoom room with a much more accomplished journalist.
One of the members of the class asked us to predict the hottest topics going into the new legislative session. Although I would like the list to include youth mental health and school construction, most likely the focus will return to education funding… again.
However, the crystal ball is a little hazy on how this discussion will go. The Commission on the Future of Public Education was supposed to tee up the conversation with recommendations, but that looks unlikely.
Lawmakers got a briefing on how the education funding system works but not much more. The governor hasn’t weighed in with new proposals, and even the House Speaker is opaquely optimistic on the plan going forward: “I want to assure you that real, meaningful change is coming.”
With so little in the open, what’s an editor to do? Now that sports betting is legal in Vermont, maybe it’s time to put down a wager on what will happen next. I’ve got five bucks on AOE’s listen and learn tour generating an education funding policy proposal that looks like school choice.
May be a long shot, but the odds have got to be better than the Pats this season.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions for counselors in Vermont in the past 45 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 colleagues who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE.
Deborah Alexander • Superintendent
Megan Grube • Superintendent
Carlton Hall • Superintendent
Ashley Hanlon • Superintendent
Morrison Lewis • Superintendent
Jane Donahue Davis • Principal
Dane VanNosdeln • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
East Asia Impacting the World. The Five College Center for East Asian Studies is offering an in-person, 30-credit plus stipend seminar for K-12 educators, specialists, and administrators. Rutland High School, 9am - 3pm, March 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 5 in St. Johnsbury.
School Ambassador Fellowship. The U.S. Department of Education is accepting applications for a one-year fellowship that engages school-based educators in development of policies that impact learning environments nationwide. Deadline is January 13. Editor’s note - I participated in the first cohort of this program and recommend it highly!
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 March.
If You Missed It
Personal Device Playbook. The U.S. Department of Education recently released a guidance document to help school leaders develop local policies around cell phones and other devices at school.
Dangers of Screen Time. The Department of Health warns that “students with 5 or more hours of screen time a day are twice as likely to attempt suicide” in Vermont, a state where nearly a third of high school students are using a screen five or more hours a day outside of schoolwork.
Interims Turned Principal. Congratulations to John Oliver and Sabrina Westdijk, previously interim principals at Edmunds Middle School and Burlington High School, and now hired permanently for these school leadership positions.
Grow Your Own. A teacher apprenticeship program in the Northeast Kingdom has clocked early successes amidst a difficult market for hiring teachers.
Kwanzaa 101. The National Museum of African American History and Culture offers a resource page for Pre-K to grade 12 learners about this pan-African holiday that starts on December 26.
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, 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, 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: News is circulating about a recent cheese heist in London of… 22 tons. That’s about two and a half Tyrannosaurus Rexes, which doubtless would not taste nearly as good.