802Ed, the monthly newsletter for Vermont’s education professionals, is perhaps the best available ‘aggregator’ of Vermont education news in existence. But this month, editor Steve Berbeco has outdone himself in collecting an astonishing amount of news from Vermont news sources. The copy below is republished from 802Ed. – VDC Editor

“Ending Radical Indoctrination in Schools.” The White House published an Executive Order that enshrines the “celebration of America’s greatness and history” and places many other ideological stakes in the ground.

• The Department of Justice announced that it plans to work with the U.S. Department of Education to “pursue actions” against educational agencies, colleges, and universities engaging in “illegal DEI And DEIA discrimination.”
• Superintendents in New Hampshire are nervous about what this means for them: “I think we’re going to have a lot of legal bills just to get advice on things like compliance.”
• A high school in Denver has already caught the attention of the new administration.

Listen, Learn, Consolidate. There has been a lot of reaction to the governor’s plan for overhauling the state’s governance and finance systems for education.

• Seven Days VT gives a thorough run-down of the governor’s plan, including reactions from legislators who can’t see how schools will get more out of spending significantly less: “I just can’t fathom where the actual cost savings is coming from.”
• VT Digger printed an opinion piece about one of the greatest drivers of education costs: “There is no point in dismantling our school districts until we fix our broken health care system.”
• WCAX reports on concerns raised by some of the state’s smallest schools.
• VT Digger ran a news analysis piece that suggested the proposal relies on data “condensed from incomprehensible rows and columns that all but the most spreadsheet savvy lawmakers will likely never see.”
• Vermont Community News Service offers another possible motivation: “[The proposal] was shock value to propose something a bit more moderate.”
• VT Digger brings us a read-out of the State Board of Education’s response to the governor’s plan to move its rule-making authority to AOE in light of the agency’s limited capacity to enforce even the existing rules: “I simply do not see the part that’s supposed to be happening, happening.”
• The Chester Telegraph points out that the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont isn’t fully on board with the proposal: “I worry about being co-opted by the administration.”
• VT Digger gives the pen to someone in favor of consolidation in an environment where “every district jealously guard[s] its little bit of turf.”

No More Phones in School? Seven Days VT focuses in on legislators who have introduced H.54, which intends to do away with student phone use “given the known dangers and potential for harm caused by or experienced on social media.”

Perfect Storm. Valley News zooms into a district with superintendent and principal turnover, a challenging budget picture, and delayed plans to shutter one or both of the elementary schools: “We realize that it will take a bit more time before intelligent decisions can be made.” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.

Good-Bye, Free Lunch? WCAX reports on the governor’s proposal to eliminate the state’s $18 million universal free school meals program as a way to reduce taxes.

Reducing Restraint. VT Digger prints a former superintendent’s response to a recently published commentary that argued reports of restraint and seclusion in schools are not subject to public disclosure.

International Teacher Recruitment. Seven Days VT highlights a high school that has hired three teachers from the Philippines for hard-to-fill positions.

Department of Education Cheat Sheet. NPR offers a brief explainer about what the federal education agency does – and doesn’t do.

“Nation’s Report Card” for Vermont. VT Digger sums up results of a biannual standardized measure of student learning and the less than encouraging results, mirrored in student learning across the country.

Time To Exclude Inclusion? The Hechinger Report tips us off to a paper on special education about to be published: “We’re not saying that the evidence indicates full inclusion cannot work. We’re saying that the evidence in terms of where to place these children is extremely weak, is fundamentally flawed, and no conclusions can be drawn from the evidence.” Update: Check out the follow-up!

Fewer Dollars for PCBs. VT Digger points to what the governor proposes for clean-up of the toxic chemicals, less than a third of what legislators approved two years ago: “I don’t know that it’s going to cover everything.”

Starting with Youth Voice. The Winooski News brings us into a federally-funded program that connects students across the state: “It’s really eye-opening.”

Dis-Engagement. The Chester Telegraph follows up on the public relations firm hired by the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont to support community engagement, and early barriers to participation.

Please, No “Public Spectacle.” VT Digger reports on a city’s letter to a school board member whom they allege doesn’t actually reside in the city: “The city respectfully requests you to voluntarily correct your voter registration and to resign from the school board.” Update: The school board member has resigned citing a “misunderstanding.”