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 the latest on push-back for the Senate’s version of the education reform bill, a student scholarship for a summer comics workshop, and a new way to recognize and honor school boards. Be sure to check out news of a possible nation-wide school voucher system!
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
Trauma-Responsive Leadership. Edutopia shares tips on building and supporting an inclusive and emotionally safe school community.
“Whatever Will Work.” VT Digger covers legislative testimony by companies that produce apps for youth mental health, and the positive response from the committee chair: “We’re at a critical stage right now where we really need to do something systemically for kids.”
Vouchers, Federal Style. NPR reports on a recent proposal by the federal administration to initiate a nation-wide school voucher system.
Bye, Electric Buses. WCAX investigates why a school district bought electric buses and then decided against using them after all. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it
“Rushed, Opaque, and Unprofessional.” Seven Days VT sends up a signal flare about how school closings may happen in the future, by focusing on the experience of a community experiencing a cost-cutting measure.
Double DOGE. The Hechinger Report brings into focus the challenges faced by universities that are feeling pressure on their funding from both federal and state government.
More Inclusivity, Please. The Brattleboro Informer informs us about a school board that has requested AOE include at least one BIPOC member on its Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council.
Teaching “Discrepancies.” NPR reports that newly adopted education standards in Oklahoma require teaching about “discrepancies” in the 2020 election results.
“Kick in The Gut.” Valley News highlights a Vermont district that is trying to tackle PCB remediation through local funding, in an environment where the state says: “If (schools) want to move forward with the sampling, they can conduct it on their own.”
Minimizing Cell Phones in Schools. Burlington Free Press follows up on H.54, a bill to ban phones and devices in schools, as well as counterarguments offered by students.
Helping Learning to Grow. Education Week spotlights an elementary school program that teaches math, language arts, and problem solving skills through a school garden and a standards-based curriculum.
“Manufactured Crisis.” WCAX follows push-back at a recent community meeting about the legislature’s education reform bill: “This proposal, however it shakes out, is not designed to save money.”
Science of Reading. Stateline reports on several states that are changing how literacy is taught, in an environment of dropping test scores - including Vermont.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Iowa is considering the benefits of community colleges offering bachelors degrees, to combat “education deserts” in the state.
Lawmakers in Colorado are debating a bill that would require high school students to learn about personal finance as a graduation requirement.
Many adult learners in New York can attend community college for free under legislation that was just signed by the governor.
School Shootings in 2025. Education Week’s tracker has logged seven school shootings in 2025: “On May 7, a 15-year-old student accidentally shot another 15-year-old student on a school bus outside Thurston High School in Redford, Mich.” 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.
Buzz On The Street
This sections highlights recent op-eds and letters to the editor about education. Send a note and tell us what you think!
More than a dozen former legislators argue against H.454, the education reform bill: “Vermont deserves better.”
John Walters, aka the VPO, sees dim prospects for the Senate’s education reform bill, “a ‘solution’ that everybody seems to hate.”
Oliver Parini encourages readers to focus on the pivotal role of education when it comes to state budgeting: “It’s our most powerful tool for attracting - and keeping - young families.”
Morgan Crossman raises the alarm about the possible elimination of Head Start in the federal administration’s proposed budget.
Elizabeth Frascoia advocates for arts education in an unstable political environment: “Arts education isn’t extra - it’s essential.”
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: Who benefits most from Spring vacation? Responses were overwhelmingly strongest for School staff, who need to recharge, with almost no readers selecting Students, who need to recharge or No one, lets just get done with this school year.
This issue’s survey question: Do you know how long it is until the end of the school year? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Yes, I can tell you how many days
✅ I know the last day of school but I don’t keep count
✅ No, I like to be surprised
Thank you to the reader from Windham 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!
Extra Support
The end of school year and summer 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
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 54 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 nearly 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, Bennington College is hiring a boiler attendant at $30/hour, which is about twice the starting wage of a local child care provider.
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
Backyard chickens are so much fun: fresh eggs for us and our neighbors, clucky little hens that keep the yard tick-free, and pets for the kids that don’t require daily walks through the rain or a stinky litter box.
We have had many feathery friends for the last few years: Strawberry, Blueberry, Lemon, Hot Fudge, Tornado, and others. Sometimes eggs have gone to support the local food shelf and other times they have made for an amazing ice cream recipe.
Recently, though, the neighborhood raccoon has figured out how to sneak into the coop at night. Good-bye Hot Fudge and farewell Blueberry.
Why can’t nature just leave a good thing alone?
Maybe there are some legislators and educators who have similar thoughts. Not about our chickens, though I appreciate your empathy, but about the House’s education reform bill, H.454.
There was a lot of work that went into drafting this bill that clocks in at 415 pages.
And then it crossed over to the Senate. The committee there slimmed down its version to 125 pages. Good bye class-size minimums and farewell House’s per-pupil spending.
Why can’t a committee just leave a good thing alone?
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the percent of open positions for substitutes 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.
Mark Holodick • Superintendent
Shayna Kalnitsky • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Teaching Media Literacy. The Center for Civic Education is providing a stipended, expenses-paid summer training opportunity for grade 4-8 educators, to engage students in media literacy with hands-on engagement in public policy. July 7 to 11, in New Jersey.
Comics Scholarship. The Center for Cartoon Studies and the state’s Department of Libraries have opened scholarship applications for a Vermont teen to participate in a one-week comics creation workshop in White River Junction. Deadline is May 27.
Mental Health First Aid. Virtual, no-cost workshops are available to educators and others who want to learn skills in identifying and responding to symptoms of mental illness and substance use disorder. May and June.
State Youth Council. Applications have opened for stipended three-year terms, where youth ages 11-18 develop state policy recommendations for the governor and legislature. Deadline is May 31.
Board Excellence. The VSBA has launched an award competition to honor a Vermont school board that exemplifies outstanding governance and demonstrates a measurable, positive impact on both students and the community it serves. Nominations deadline is June 30.
If You Missed It
Graduate With A Plan. Advance Vermont is asking educators, students, and families to complete a 15 minute survey about supports for students who are graduating from high school. Respond by May 23 for a chance to win a $75 gift card.
Queen/King Bees. Congratulations to the team from Richford who won this year’s VPA geography bee, in the first year their school sent students to compete!
H.454 in Stereo. The House education reform bill looks more than a little different coming out of the Senate, according to a side-by-side by legislative counsel.
H.454 > Senate Redux. VSBA, VSA, VPA, and the Vermont Association of School Business Officials have strong words to share about the Senate’s version of the House’s education reform bill: “The House version of H.454 offers a more coherent, equitable, and actionable approach to transforming Vermont’s education system. The Senate’s changes, by contrast, appear to prioritize political compromise over structural reform and may unintentionally preserve the very inefficiencies the bill was meant to address.” At least one legislator shares in the pessimism: “This bill will be devastating to our education system.”
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, 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: Libraries in far-flung Swedish and Norwegian islands are stocked up twice a year by ‘book boats.’ Float that one under extreme Inter-Library Loan.