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 state-wide school redistricting including three possible maps, restoration of federal youth mental health grants, and the launch of a restorative justice microcredential. Be sure to check out coverage about health insurance premiums for teachers and how that affects education finance reform!
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
Having The Difficult Conversation. Higher Ed Jobs offers suggestions on navigating a tricky conversation that you would probably just rather avoid.
Sue ’Em Til They Glow. The Hechinger Report reports back from a national advocacy organization’s annual event, where members were encouraged to promote changes by filing lawsuits instead of running for school board.
Six Seven. Education Week explains why classrooms erupt when younger students hear the magic number, and a school that went ahead and banned the number during instructional time.
Lower Insurance Hikes. Vermont Public explains why a 7% increase in teachers’ insurance premiums is actually a good thing, especially as some people had anticipated an increase of up to 20% without intervention from regulators and the legislature.
So, How’s That Redistricting Going? Saint Albans Messenger reviews the background and current status of Act 73, especially the efforts to condense more than a hundred school districts into fewer than ten: “There are a lot of unanswered questions, and I think that is what’s providing the most anxiety for people.”
“Too Big, Too Fast, And Too Dangerous.” WCAX lets us know about a School Redistricting Task Force community meeting where most of the public comments were highly critical of the effort so far.
“There’s Just So Few Kids.” VT Digger zooms into a district in southern Vermont that is weighing a decision to close two local elementary schools. A district in central Vermont is also contemplating the shuttering of two schools.
Yes, Math Does Pay. Seven Days VT brings us up to date on a former Vermont teacher whose math app is on track to bring in more than a million dollars this year.
“Education Is The Best Career.” The Winooski News interviews a middle and high school principal with more than a decade of experience. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it
Mental Health Grants Back On. K12 Dive updates us on a federal judge’s ruling that the U.S. Department of Education has to reinstate grants for youth mental health because of “numerous irreparable harms flowing from the discontinuation decisions.”
Breathing Easier. WAMC interviews state and school staff at an elementary school in Vermont that was given the highest designation of “asthma-friendly.”
Achieving Racial Equity. VT Digger digs into the data behind Burlington’s recent announcement that its district-wide suspensions are no longer disproportionate considering a student’s race.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Maryland is piloting child care licenses for outdoor, nature-based programs that don’t require a building.
Districts in several states have become landlords for school staff with rent as low as $200/month, as a way to address teacher shortages.
Schools in New York City will soon have panic buttons that contact emergency services in less than ten seconds.
School Shootings in 2025. Education Week’s tracker has logged 13 school shootings in 2025: “On Oct. 10, a 17-year-old was shot and injured after a high school football game at South Delta High School in Rolling Fork, Miss. In another incident on Oct. 10, two people were killed and at least one person was injured in a shooting during a homecoming football game at Heidelberg High School in Heidelberg, Miss.” 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 Sunni Erikson.
Buzz On The Street
This sections highlights recent op-eds and letters to the editor about education.
Peggy Stevens argues that Vermont’s new education reform law, Act 73, is fundamentally flawed; it undermines local control, fails to tackle key cost drivers, and shifts power away from communities, and so it needs to be sent back to the drawing board: “If you ask me, it is a pig in a poke, something that is bought or accepted without knowing its value or seeing it first.”
Caroline Comley and Jennifer Harper point out that the crises in education and healthcare cannot be separated because rising health-insurance costs have become a major driver of education spending and government reform efforts must address both together: “None of what Act 73 is proposing is going to provide relief to the middle class until the greed of the health insurance industry is addressed.”
David Zuckerman advocates for Vermont to fix the inequities in its property tax system, especially by asking second-home owners to pay more, without destabilizing its local public schools or stripping them of community control: “Local schools drive community health. Where has shutting one down ever made a community thrive?”
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 think students should be required to do community service as a graduation requirement? Responses were strongest for Yes, it helps students as well as community organizations, with about half as many readers selecting No, students already have a lot on their plates.
This issue’s survey question: How should schools leaders check on school climate? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Anonymous staff surveys a few times a year
✅ Suggestion box in the main office
✅ Convene a School Climate Committee
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!
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
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 600 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions across the country, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, how about becoming an elephant keeper at Nebraska’s top tourist attraction? Job duties include yuck “daily removal of all feces.”
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
Three cheers for the bus driver, the bus driver, the bus driver… if your schools actually have enough of them on staff to cheer for.
Bus driver shortages are a recurring headache for school leaders and their boards, not to mention families that have to figure out how to schedule drop offs, pick ups, and getting to work on time.
There are plenty of clever solutions out there, from asking parents to help to handing the keys to the superintendent.
If that doesn’t work, raising the starting salary to $30 an hour is sure to attract more applicants.
Local fixes for local problems.
Transportation is one of many things that are critically important to education, yet often don’t show up in legislative discussions or even community meetings. There isn’t a lot of talk out there about what happens when the legislature consolidates districts and then school after school shutters.
Call it school closure, consolidation, efficiency, whatever. The distances that students will have to travel for public education is almost certainly going to increase.
How are the kids going to get to school?
Vermont has a finite number of school buses. Are there state-wide cost savings in purchasing or leasing more buses? (They ain’t cheap.)
There is a limited number of licensed school bus drivers. Are we going to poach them from New Hampshire? Or train up our superintendents?
So many questions, and as with much of the redistricting work, so few answers.
As for me, I’m going to see about picking up a school bus driver license. Seems like that market is only bound to grow.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks open positions for special education teachers and staff in the past 90 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!
Grants & Opportunities
Restorative Justice Microcredential. Vermont Law and Graduate School is offering Vermont school staff the opportunity to take part in a pilot test of a new digital microcredential program that is 3-4 hours of self-paced learning. Pilot begins on November 3.
Improving Special Education. AOE has published an RFP for a contractor to develop a three-year plan “for implementing best practices that will lead to improved outcomes for all of Vermont’s learners,” especially around Special Education. Deadline is November 3.
Trauma Informed Care. AOE is offering an online training for early childhood educators on trauma-informed universal supports and practices, with a focus on regulation skills, de-escalation, and relational repair. 9 am to 4 pm, November 13.
Future of Therapeutic Schools. The Mill School and New School are hosting a day-long convening with facilitated discussions on advocacy for therapeutic independent schools among other topics. 8:30 am to 2 pm, November 14. Alumni Hall, 45 College Street, Montpelier.
Updating The Rules. DCF’s Child Development Division is hosting a webinar on proposed revisions to child care licensing rules. 1 pm to 2:30 pm, November 17.
No More (Reading) Wars. UVM has announced a presentation by a Stanford education professor on how to use evidence based practices to support literacy learners. 4 pm to 5:30 pm, November 17. Davis Center at the University of Vermont, Silver Maple Ballroom (4th floor), 590 Main Street, Burlington.
Better Kid Care. DCF has posted an RFP for a contractor to develop online modules for early childhood and afterschool licensing requirements. Deadline is November 21.
Holocaust Professional Development. AOE and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum are offering an in-person/virtual program for grade 6-12 educators to strengthen their evidence-based literacy practices when teaching about the Holocaust and genocide. 9 am to 3:30 pm, December 5, in Montpelier. Register by November 24.
Harvard Service Fellowship. Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government recently announced a fully-funded fellowship for public servants, including public school teachers. Deadline is December 1.
Poops and Paws. Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Department is offering a free curriculum in recognizing wintertime animals by their scat and tracks, intended for K-8 students. Register by December 15.
If You Missed It
Three Proposed Maps. Vermont’s School District Redistricting Taskforce has at last count three redistricting maps that they are considering: a CTE Region Modified District map, a Regional Cooperative Education Services Model map, and a Regional Comprehensive High Schools map.
Does Social Media Lower Scores? A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that “high increasing social media use was associated with poorer performance” on reading and memory tests.
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: The American Society of Dowsers is headquartered in Vermont, with workshops throughout the year in how to use a divining rod to find water.