The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back, happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and a belated Happy New Year!
The 802 Ed is back again with gratitude to the many readers who write in with suggestions, pitch in for a cup of coffee, voice their thoughts on the surveys, and use this resource to help all of us do education better.
And speaking of readers, we are now up to more than two thousand opens for every issue. That’s greater than the population of 177 towns in Vermont!
This issue covers many topics that are immediately useful like an analysis of how recent legislation will affect school budgets, approaches to chronic student absenteeism, and several award nomination opportunities. Be sure to check out the former education leader who is running for the top seat in the state.
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
Stopping The Bully. Harvard Business Review offers several research-based myths and facts about what a bystander can do when witnessing workplace harassment, including in schools.
Principals Need Sleep, Too. Education Week reports on recent sleep research and how school leaders can get more zzz’s to keep themselves and their teams going strong
“It Used To Feel Safe.” Several high school students from Winooski, speaking anonymously to VT Digger, share their feelings after the recent, high-profile shooting of three Palestinian Americans in Burlington.
Water Water Everywhere. Nor any drop to drink, writes VT Digger, of the schools in Vermont that have had to ship in bottled water for years for everything from bubblers to cooking because of local PFAS contamination.
Breaking FERPA. Seven Days’ Alison Novak digs into a recent court ruling that releases student records, and possibly opens the door to requests for hazing, harassment and bullying investigations, disciplinary records, and more.
From School to State House. Esther Charlestin, former Dean of Climate and Culture at a middle school in Middlebury, recently announced her bid for the governor’s seat in Montpelier.
“Canning” Social Capital. Dissertation research by Sean Robinson, MTSS Coordinator at Randolph Union High School, found that communities with stronger resilience have public schools that engage in programs like internships and place-based education.
Housing Crisis Comes Home. The Winooski School District’s board recently passed a resolution calling on city, state, and federal officials to take “urgent action” to support stable, affordable housing for students’ families. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Diversity Statements. Higher Ed Jobs offers a behind-the-scenes look at why some employers, including K-12 schools, include questions about diversity in their application process.
School Budgets Outlook. CVTSE ran the numbers on how Act 127 is anticipated to affect local education budgets in the next fiscal year with the recent change in the weighted count from Equalized Pupils to Long Term Weighted Average Daily Membership.
School Health Bonanza. School Administrator goes all in for January’s issue, with several articles about mental health including a superintendent’s story of leading with a diagnosis of depression.
Mascot Out, Plus More. The Chester Telegraph’s Cynthia Prairie writes in an editorial of the “volcano of anger and distrust” around the recently “jettisoned” Chieftain mascot, the resignation of the superintendent and three board members, and the final question: “Where was the state Agency of Education in this whole mess?”
Paying Less Into Schools. VSBA covered the governor’s recent State of the State speech and honed in on hints of the administration’s plans for education: additional consolidation, moving to a statewide teacher contract, and more. “With fewer than 83,000 Pre-K through 12 students, we’re spending about $25,000 a year per student, among the very highest in the country.”
Optional School. The New Yorker explores chronic absenteeism, including approaches that fail, like pressing charges against parents, and those that work, like home visits.
Full-Time Support for Homeless Students. School Administrator highlights an innovative Vermont program where a supervisory union hired a staff person to help families with housing.
Feds Float School Construction Funds. The U.S. Department of Education announced nearly $50 million in awards to nine recipients, but not Vermont, suggesting that there is interest at the federal level to provide support.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
The Pennsylvania legislature funded a new program to pay student teachers up to $15,000 to create incentives to following this career path.
A Minnesota legislator is looking for ways to fund outdoor education through the Department of Natural Resources.
Georgia’s governor included millions of dollars in his proposed budget toward one-time bonuses for school staff and others plus more dollars to upgrade school security.
A recent study of Missouri’s schools, where about 30% of the districts have a four-day school week, found no significant difference in student outcomes with the shorter week.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker starts over again in the new year with two school shootings already in 2024. “On Jan. 4, a 6th grade student was killed and seven others - four students and three faculty members - were wounded in a shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa.” Total school shootings in 2023: 37. 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: Should college instructors who teach dual-enrollment classes also be certified teachers? The responses were about equally divided between Yes, it would help students adjust to college classes and No, it would create an unnecessary barrier for classes.
This issue’s survey question: What happened to the Secretary of Education search? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Put it on hold until after the elections.
✅ First, second, and third picks declined the offer.
✅ Forgot about it.
Thank you to the state employee 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!
Job Listings
High School Principal. Milton Town School District is seeking a dynamic, equity-driven principal to lead an innovative team designed to meet the needs of the whole child in alignment with the district’s Vision of Learning. The candidate will be an instructional leader who is highly collaborative, possesses exemplary communication and interpersonal skills, and is strongly committed to providing all students with a challenging and supportive learning experience. Sponsored by Milton Town 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 2,100+ 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 education positions in Vermont, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the Putney School is hiring a Farm Manager for “farm responsibilities 24-hours per day, seven days a week throughout the calendar year.”
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.
From the Editor
The new year brings a fresh start in many ways, an opportunity to set new goals, revisit forgotten projects, and in some cases start looking for the next job. It’s as if a starting gun goes off around this time of year and school boards start posting their leadership positions.
It is little surprise, then, to see the number of openings in Vermont start to climb in the past couple of weeks by almost fifty percent.
Okay you say, hold up. That is only a jump of fifteen or so positions. We’re a small state after all.
But zoom out and consider that there are currently more than 1,100 educators who are holding principal licenses from the state, not to mention the thousands more outside of Vermont who may have in interest in moving in among the Green Mountains.
With those sorts of numbers, boards can expect to see a strong response, with hopefully one or two great matches.
The chart below tracks the number of openings for administrator staff in the 60 days prior to publication, 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
We are still waiting to hear about the results of the Secretary of Education search as well as other leadership roles across the state. In the meantime, here are highlights of education leaders who are making a change – congratulations!
Stacey Farrington, previously home school coordinator at Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union, is now interim principal at Lothrop Elementary School. She is taking over from Erica Harryman.
Denette Locke, previously interim principal at Fletcher Elementary School, is now principal.
Jada Payea, previously science teacher at Burlington’s Horizons program, is now interim assistant principal at Burlington High School.
Congratulations also to these colleagues who have received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE’s Aithent Licensing System.
Robert Lundin • Superintendent, Principal
Phyllis Bellemare • Principal
Mary Dossin • Principal
Desiree Hertz • Principal
Angela Howell • Principal
Violette Tindall • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Educational Leader of the Year. VPA has opened nominations for the annual competition for Vermont Career Center Director of the Year; High School Principal of the Year; Middle Level Principal of the Year; National Distinguished Principal (elementary principal of the year); and Assistant Principals of the Year. Deadline is February 2.
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 February 5. Editor’s note - I participated in the first cohort of this program and recommend it highly!
Aspiring School Leaders. VPA is hosting an interactive session for educators interested in school leadership positions: applying, licensing, professional learning, and more. 3:30 - 4:30 pm, February 7. Deadline to register is February 5.
Curriculum Director of the Year. VTCLA has opened nominations for the annual competition with a quick, four-question form.
Governor’s Institutes of Vermont Welcomes High School Students. The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV) is now accepting applications for the 2024 offerings of their residential summer programs. Passionate and curious Vermont 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students are invited to apply. This year, GIV will be offering eight different summer Institutes including Arts, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Science & Technology, Global Issues & Youth Action, Health & Medicine, Mathematical Sciences, and Technology & Design. Students can attend for as little as $10, and each Institute offers the learning experience of a lifetime! Sponsored by the Governor's Institutes of Vermont
NEH PD 4U. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is offering nearly four dozen summer programs for K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, from Shakespeare to the Space Age and more. Deadline is March 5. Thanks to a Congressional liaison for the tip!
Two-Day Workshop on Bullying. The Grand Lodge of Vermont Freemasons is offering an in-person workshop on bullying prevention and conflict management for educators. Barre Elks Club, March 7 - 8, 8:30 am to 4 pm.
Superintendent of the Year. VSA has opened nominations for the annual competition, with the update that this year anyone can nominate a superintendent. Deadline is March 15.
If You Missed It
Penguin Protection. The Smithsonian Science Education Center has published a fun game for PreK-1 students to learn about how rockhopper penguins raise their young.
Super Library Card. State employees, legislators, and appointed (not elected) board members are eligible for the Vermont State Library’s resources on public policy, professional development, and more, with free shipping to your office.
Senate Youth Program Winners. Congratulations to Christopher Alfano of Dorset and Eva Gould of Brattleboro who were selected to be part of this year’s United States Senate Youth Program, earning a $10,000 college scholarship.
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, PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, VEHI Vermont Education Health Initiative, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VREC Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: An unkindness of ravens, a court of coots, and an impatience of wives: this blog post explores a “practically useless and academically curious” list of collective nouns and why medieval people created so many of them. Personal favorite? A superfluity of nuns. (No shade on you, Sister Pat.)