The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back! This issue covers many topics that are immediately useful like an update on the mysterious school budget signs popping up around the state, news of a very unusual degree recipient, and a time-traveling school in central Vermont. Be sure to check out the Tired Teacher Bingo if you missed it last time!
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
Carrot And Stick. Seven Days VT reports on the mixed reaction that Vermont’s new interim Secretary of Education is getting when warning a district of “non-voluntary intervention” by the AOE if current problem areas don’t improve.
Back to The Future. The Waterbury Roundabout covers the story of Harwood High School seeking community input on a cellphone-free school policy: “Harwood We Are Going Back to 1995.”
Helping Staff to Thrive. Higher Ed Jobs features a research study on staff engagement, with results applicable to colleges, schools, and early childhood education programs.
Just Say No. Seven Days VT gets the story behind the mystery of signs popping up here and there urging voters to defeat school budgets.
“Dangerous Precedent to Set.” VT Digger recently published an opinion piece by a state senator decrying the governor’s decision to make an interim appointment after the Senate voted down his selected candidate for Secretary of Education.
Tired Teacher Bingo. We Are Teachers offers “the game you didn’t know you needed,” just in time for the end of the school year. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
“Sadness And Loss in The District.” Valley News lays out the recent school leadership transitions in Rivendell, including an interim principal who is now doing double-duty as interim superintendent.
Senate Ed Shake-Up. VT Digger covers the chair of the Senate Committee on Education’s announcement that he will not run for re-election: “I’m definitely feeling mixed about it.”
“We All Need A Union.” Stateline brings us up to date on two university systems where undergraduate student workers have voted to unionize.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
West Virginia’s Department of Education recently unveiled new resources for parents to help with student’s mental health, including on-demand parenting sessions taught by licensed therapists.
New Hampshire’s legislature is working on a bill that would allow districts to hire part-time teachers without licensure, in response to statewide teacher shortages.
Maryland now requires its universities to offer mental health as an option for students who withdraw from studies.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged 19 school shootings in 2024. “On May 24, a man was shot and killed in the Gadsden High School parking lot during a teacher work day in Anthony, N.M.” 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: What do your plans for the summer include? More than twice as many readers selected Absolutely nothing to do with school as compared to Professional development and Teaching or running a program.
This issue’s survey question: What would you do if you left your current role? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ A different role within a school
✅ A career outside of education
✅ Ice cream truck driver sounds good right about now
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!
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 400 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions in education in Vermont, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, Community College of Vermont is looking for a Student Advising Coordinator for its highly successful Corrections Education program.
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
Let’s face it, this has been a particularly challenging year. In talking with colleagues in education it sounds like school itself has changed, as if the goalposts have shifted without any formal announcement or, in many cases, outward acknowledgment.
Education in Vermont has been about the kids, always back to the kids. And when we ask questions about how we are doing as a state, it sounds like: Are the kids learning?
But the pandemic pushed a new question into the forefront. Where ten years ago we were wringing our hands over proficiency based learning, today mental health has emerged as a principal factor in student achievement. We now ask ourselves as educators: Are the kids all right?
Recently I was talking with a reader from a university about how we are meeting our students’ mental health needs. They mentioned an elementary school with an innovative model of offering on-site counseling services to both students and staff, which is more convenient for the grown-ups as well as a way to tie the school community closer together.
After talking, though, I realized what was missing from that conversation as well as the wider discourse about mental health in Vermont’s school communities. School based clinicians support the children, private therapists support many of the grown-ups, but what about the oldest generation?
Most school staff are under the age of 65, although many schools employ older Vermonters who are past this age marker. Statewide about 1 in 5 people aged 65 and older has a depressive disorder, though it’s important to note that there is no data analysis that directly connects older school workers in particular with depressive disorders.
Free training opportunities like Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults can help school staff identify and respond to symptoms in themselves and their colleagues. People who take trainings like these become protective factors for those around them in the school community.
In continuing to talk about mental health, let’s not forget that older Vermonters are an important part of our education ecosystem, too.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the total number of school leader openings in Vermont in the past 60 days, presented as data points and a polynomial 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 leaders who are making a change! There is a lot of movement among the 100+ school leadership positions that have opened since January. Data from VPA.
JoAn Canning, currently interim superintendent in New Hampshire, will be superintendent at Barre Unified Union School District this summer. She is taking over from Chris Hennessey.
Suzanne Gruendling, currently director of student engagement and district system services at Essex Westford School District, will be principal at Tuttle Middle School this summer. She is taking over from Scott Sivo.
Jessica Bourbeau, currently math coach at Swanton School, will be assistant principal this summer. She is taking over from Justina Jennett.
Francesca Palumbo, currently vice principal at Academy School, will be principal at Wardsboro Elementary School this summer. She is taking over from Donna Bazyk.
Shannon Miller, currently principal at Roxbury Village School, will be co-principal at Barre Town Elementary and Middle School this summer. She is taking over from Jennifer Nye.
Nadya Bech-Conger, currently associate director of learning at Burlington School District, will be principal at Bingham Memorial School this summer. She is taking over from Heather Raabe.
Lashawn Whittmore-Sells, previously principal at Flynn Elementary School, will be principal at Shoreham Elementary School this summer. She is taking over from Matthew Brankman and Jenny Urban.
Congratulations also to these colleagues who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE.
Margaret Honsinger • Superintendent
Katie Laba • Principal
Jesse Wood • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Outside Learning. Mount Abraham Unified School District recently posted an RFP to construct “dedicated space to combine the targeted teaching of a traditional classroom with the immersive and interactive natural spaces outside of a school building.” Deadline is June 6.
Night at The Ball Game. The Vermont Lake Monsters are offering two free tickets to educators who show identification at the box office for the June 8 game against the Starfires, followed by evening fireworks.
Peer Review Panelists. AOE is seeking licensed educators to serve as panelists to review candidate portfolios. $175 per review. Deadline is June 15.
AI in Education Summit. AOE and partners is holding a conference for secondary educators to explore concerns and benefits of using artificial intelligence tools from both student and teacher perspectives. June 27 at Hula in Burlington.
More Kid Care in Rutland County. Pittsford Village Farm is seeking bids from child care programs looking to lease space in a redeveloped facility. Deadline is July 12.
If You Missed It
Superintendent of The Year. Congratulations to Lynn Cota from Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union, a “fierce advocate for mental health support” among many other laudits.
“Exemplary Poetry.” Congratulations to a Harwood High School ninth-grade student who has been named Vermont’s Youth Poet Laureate, in a program supported by the Clemmons Family Farm and others.
Dr. Meow. Vermont State University recently conferred an honorary “Doctorate of Litter-ature” on Max, a local tabby cat.
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, 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, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: NASA scientists have crunched massive amounts of data to bring us a visual representation of falling into a black hole, complete with totally creepy black hole music.