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By Michael Bielawski
Vermont state policies and White House executive orders present potential showdowns concerning social justice, climate policies, and more. One area where there may be much conflict is the state’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
On Jan 20, the Trump Administration issued the Executive Order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing”.
It states, “The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military.”
Up to 10 cents per public education dollar could be potentially disrupted. WCAX in November reported that Vermont “disburses about $100 million of federal grant programs annually, representing about 10 percent of districts’ funding.”
The Associated Press reports that it’s the DEI aspects of federal spending that the administration is looking to roll back. The report says, “Trump has said DEI amounts to discrimination. To get colleges to shutter diversity programs, he said during the campaign he would “advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment.”
In some cases around the country, schools are changing the name of their DEI programs in an apparent effort to avoid federal attention. The AP report states that Boston’s Northeastern University for example “renamed a program for underrepresented students, emphasizing ‘belonging’ for all.”
State says white students privileged
The Vermont State government formally endorses the notion that “equity” for all students should be a targeted policy.
The Agency of Education’s website states “The Agency of Education, along with educators across Vermont, is determined to eliminate the inequity that persists between Vermont’s affluent white students, and student groups that have historically demonstrated achievement gaps within our state’s school systems.”
There’s a list of organizations that specialize in promoting DEI culture and values in schools. For example, it lists the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont which can teach public schools about microaggressions, racial justice, adultism, intergenerational trauma, and more.
“Vendors on this list demonstrated that their work addresses educational equity, diversity, and justice,” the site states.
According to VPac.org, the Vermont School Boards Association, Vermont Superintendents Association, and Vermont Principals Association have all adopted a shared definition of equity.
The definition includes, “Equity involves acknowledging and disrupting inequitable practices, acknowledging biases, employing practices that reflect the reality that all students will learn, and creating inclusive multicultural school environments for adults and children.”
A billion in wasted money?
In addition to the order, the administration’s DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] has been similarly focusing on public funds used for what they deem inappropriate expenditures.
“As of Wednesday, DOGE had recorded the cancellation of 85 “DEIA” contracts from 25 federal agencies. By Friday afternoon, that number had grown to 104 contracts totaling $1,000,060,792,” reported FOX News on Jan 31.
Equity for towns
True North Reports reported in 2022 that Vermont paid $220,000 to “advance IDEAL Vermont DEI activity in municipalities”. It continued, “Ideal Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott said, will work to advance those metrics at the city and municipality level in the state in an effort to remove structural barriers and increase meaningful inclusion and representation.”
This state-funded DEI training according to Xusana Davis, the program’s executive director, has “14 members from 83 invitations sent out to cities and municipalities in the state, who will all receive training and other resources.”
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Education, Race and Division, State Government
What can I say except “I told you this was coming”? And that the left would lose their ever-loving minds about losing funding for garbage like this. Inequity. Social justice. Microaggressions? Racial justice? Adultism? Intergenerational trauma? And more? What the heck do half of those things mean?
And my favorite – white privilege. I’d love someone to explain to me, someone who grew up lower middle class in an urban environment, someone whose family couldn’t afford a car until I was 12 years old, someone who wore my older relatives’ hand-me-downs, just exactly WHAT “white privilege” I received. Hint: I received NO privilege. I’ve had to scramble and work hard my entire life to achieve what could even be called a modest amount of success. I’m SO privileged that, short of hitting the lottery, I’m going to have to work until I’m 75-ish.
So please, don’t give me any of your “Department of Indoctrination”, I mean, “Education” mumbo-jumbo word salad nonsense. Seriously. Stop. If all these DEI advocates don’t know they hold a losing hand and it’s time to fold ’em, well, I’m not going to tell them.
I’m actually rooting for President Trump to stop all federal funding for Vermont. Is it going to hurt a little bit? Probably, but it’s a small price to pay to help Make Vermont Great Again. Because understand, when the federal trough dries up, the “Radical left lunatics”, as the President likes to call them, will (finally) leave of their own free will and we can start putting Vermont back on the right path again.
Sure, the state legislature can continue to fund some, but not all, of their woke programs. And frankly, this is the one part of the President’s plan for getting rid of the Department of Education and putting education back in the hands of the individual states that I don’t like. But for now, cutting off federal funding is a good start.
And the rest is up to us, as it always is. I’ll keep saying it till I’m dead probably, but we have to vote these moonbats out, plain and simple. But if this last election proves anything, it’s that we’ve taken the first tentative steps toward revamping the State House.
Let your voices be heard. Nessum Dorma.
Brilliant synopsis. Agree completely.
Perfect, now let’s get back to education and stop the indoctrination !!
Vermont is one of the top ten in school funding per student, hey, taxpayers do you think you are getting your money’s worth for your kid’s education, check their test scores !!
Wake up people, there are snakes in the grass in the education department and it’s time to flush them out.
DEI is racial discrimination, abusive and intentionally emotionally harmful to children who are forced to pay for past discrimination. Discrimination that they had no part in. I called the state equity office and spoke to a representative about Essex’s heavy handed equity program. One five year old came home from school hysterical because he was white and all white people are bad for hurting black people. She responded by saying and I quote, “Don’t you think that white children should feel the same pain as black children.” I was absolutely speechless. So, in reality, the goal is to cause as much pain as possible to compensate for past harms. This price applies universally to all white people globally and those who are white adjacent, meaning minorities that support our current political, social and economic system. As more migrants are brought into the state from developing and third world nations, our government will demand that outcomes are made equal. Think of wealth equity, health equity and climate equity. This will impact everything from farming to homeownership. This is socialism 2.0 where resources and wealth are realocated to abolish what is perceived as white privilege.
Vermont may have to adjust its spending plans if the feds decide the state is pushing DEI and sanctuary policies. Becca and Bernie and Peter will caterwaul and jump about, (well maybe Bernie won’t jump). It will matter not. Vermont suddenly will have to learn to spend wisely.
But Bernie will harumph like nobody’s business
If the so-called DEI actually applied to EVERYONE, unborn human persons would be INCLUDED. Instead DEI EXCLUDES all unborn human beings – and EXCLUDES them regardless of their race, gender, gender identity, stage of development….and on and on….
Re: Vermont state policies and White House executive orders present potential showdowns concerning social justice, climate policies, and more. One area where there may be much conflict is the state’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
But why? Don’t we have the most popular governor in the United States, a Republican, King Philip the Scott 1st Eunuch King of Castrati. Can’t we all just get along. What a joke this state is.
This topic warrants an article I don’t really have time to write. If any want to check, this website documents our transition with the presence of Xusanna Davis as Vermont’s Equity Director go to vthope.net/vtcrt.html – use the links at the bottom. Essex Westford School District was ground zero to test run these protocols. YES, millions if not a billion of Vermont educational expenditures have gone into to training teachers to accept the DEI agenda and roll it out.
It started with BLM – the Koolaid Vermonters should never have swallowed. There were only 1.2% blacks in Vermont that hardly fit the norms of the rest of the states. According to 24/7Wallstreet.com that kept tabs on all the racial demographics for years – Vermont blacks had a higher educational attainment rate that whites and their median income was in the same $50K range. How was it that Vermonters decided we needed to right the wrongs of racism and give blacks a boost? Vermont blacks should be held up high for the nation to see. They could show everyone in the nation that educational success, levels the playing field and puts people the same playing field. Vermont’s longevity in abolishing slavery likely played a role in creating this dynamic. Let’s not tarnish this stellar history with the stain of BLM’s racist and avowed communist viewpoints that encourage twisting the truth, creating divisions, and toppling the order so they can sweep in and sweep up the debris it causes.
Instead of dividing student and faculty groups by race and teaching them reasons why they’ve been suppressed or made supreme – drop the racial lenses. If there are cultural differences lets periodically focus on them with fun educational experiences and all celebrate and learn about the variations of cultural traditions, music and dance. Let us celebrate the variations in the fabric of our humanity and restore harmony and peaceful accords that Vermonters have long cherished while we live and let live.
https://duckduckgo.com/?va=b&t=hr&q=yuri+bezmanov&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5gnpCqsXE8g&pn=1
Subversion of a perfectly good republic
I would like to understand the exact meaning of DEI and show examples nationally and in Vermont. I am at a loss as to what they all mean. With examples I might be able to understand what is being professed.