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By Michael Bielawski
The governor’s top education official spoke to lawmakers on Wednesday on their new five-district school governance proposal, including the possibility that school choice options be expanded.
Editor’s note: a VDC interview with Vermont Agency of Education Secretary Zoie Saunders will air on Friday at Four today at 4 PM.
“At the high school level, we currently have school choice,” Secretary of the Agency of Education Zoie Saunders said to the House Education Committee. “So that is a practice that has been longstanding. Part of the recommendations that we are putting forward is that there be some additional consideration to school choice for a high schooler [to attend] an independent school.”
The hour-long committee session can be seen here.
Saunders was joined by the AOE’s general counsel Emily Simmons and their interim deputy secretary Jill Briggs Campbell.
Not everyone happy
Some lawmakers in the committee were skeptical that school choice would allow for fair access for all in terms of the opportunities they can access.
Rep. Erin Brady, D-Williston, said, “It seems like this school choice plan really exists on the premise that every single student in Vermont has someone at home that’s invested in their education and knows how to shop for schools or that they already have had a talent or a skill or an interest cultivated.”
Saunders disputed the notion that certain groups are left behind with school choice.
“I think we can look at research across the country, a lot of students in poverty exercise school choice and are looking for different options,” she said. “So I actually think that’s kind of a different assumption than what’s happening in practice.”
A screening process
Independent schools would go through a screening process. It would be done through the State Board of Education and they would “evaluate the ability for them to deliver public education to every student in their district and then they would be able to come up with a plan that makes sense for their district.”
She said that some areas of the state rely on independent schools so they should remain an option.
“So there would be the option for the districts to choose for a school of choice to be an independent school assuming they’re prequalified through the criteria established at the state,” she said.
Specialized programs and lottery process
She suggested that focused programming and curriculum will guide policy.
“The way we are thinking about choice in this context is really more specialized programming, so that would be up to the district to determine what’s the right configuration for their school,” she said.
Some schools are “able to specialize in a really specific area so maybe it’s an art school or an avionics school. And so there may be some operational considerations that you would look at in the overview of the education quality standards,” she said.
She said there would be a lottery process regarding who gets into which school.
A new accountability system
She suggested an accountability system that will be more transparent and based on student outcomes. She said that the current accountability system is “as confusing as our funding system.”
“We need to develop processes around measuring performance and if schools aren’t meeting performance objectives, that we have a very robust [support protocols] in place,” she said.
Campbell downplayed concerns about underperforming schools potentially getting shut down.
“We’re really looking at growth as a really critical way to measure student performance, in a way that we don’t actually do today,” she said.
Saunders added, “We have been working with U.S. Ed [the Department of Education] to amend our plan to ensure that those smaller schools can be part of that in a different way.”
Money going out of state?
The administration proposes eliminating the sending of state tuition money to schools out of state. One lawmaker suggested that could be problematic.
“Eliminating tuition out of state, that I know is a concern in the far reaches of the Northeast Kingdom where the New Hampshire Schools are closer in those nonoperating [no school available] districts,” Rep.Beth Quimbly, R-Lyndon, said.
Saunders responded, “It needs to be practical,” if education dollars are to follow students out of state.”
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Categories: Education, State Government
Have they made it easy for a private school of any sort to do business in Vermont?
They have us fighting about money, in which case they win.
Is it easy? If not, that is the root of the problem. My guess is it’s extremely difficult to open up a one room schoolhouse. It should be the easiest thing going.
If private schools want public tax dollars they should submit to the same oversight and accountability that the rest of the taxpayer funded schools do.
Re: “If private schools want public tax dollars they should submit to the same oversight and accountability that the rest of the taxpayer funded schools do.”
In a School Choice environment, oversight and accountability between public schools and independent schools are already ‘the same’. With School Choice, parents have oversight and hold the schools they choose accountable by making their choices. If a given school, public or independent, doesn’t perform, either the school improves or the parents will choose a different school.
I didn’t talk about receiving money.
David, I said nothing about receiving any state funds.
David,
Do you really think that the current public school system, which has copious amounts of oversight and accountability, is performing well? There are facts on the ground that show this simply is not the case. EVERY current or future school in this state that receives public tax dollars should be a charter school. And in case you do not know what a charter school is … it is publicly funded educational establishment. Each of these school would write how THEY will handle oversight and accountability. Then parents can look at these schools and decide if they are holding up to the standards they have written down. If not, trust me the mot disadvantaged parents will also want to move their kids to another school.
The wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“So there would be the option for the districts to choose for a school of choice to be an independent school assuming they’re prequalified through the criteria established at the state,” she said.
In other words, parents, you have a choice – as long as you make the choice we offer you.
“prequalified through the criteria established at the state”
I’m curious how is this different from the phrasing in H.89
“may select from a list of public and approved independent schools maintained by the Agency of Education”
Technically, the requirements have not changed … yet. Independent schools, including religious schools, must be “approved independent schools or independent schools meeting education quality standards”, just as homeschool programs must be approved. But, today at least, the approval process is not usurious. Buildings have to be safe, and so forth. But there are no (or very few) curricular requirements.
This dog and pony show will never end until you understand the Declaration Of Rights In The Vermont Constitution. NO RIGHT NO TAX. Your private property should not be used as collateral for any public debt. Remember, you will own nothing and you will be happy.
Re: Rep. Erin Brady, D-Williston, said, “It seems like this school choice plan really exists on the premise that every single student in Vermont has someone at home that’s invested in their education and knows how to shop for schools or that they already have had a talent or a skill or an interest cultivated.”
This is ‘the Robin Hood Paradox’. The State assumes the electorate isn’t capable of fending for themselves. So it takes money from everyone and redistributes it, arguing that only it (the State) can protect everyone.
Question: How’s that working for you so far?
The definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a better outcome.
Question: If we don’t allow parents to decide for themselves, sometimes making mistakes along the way and learning from the experience, how will they ever learn? Especially given that the State’s alternative method is bankrupting everyone and teaching their children next to nothing.
After all, School Choice doesn’t force parents to choose a school. Parents can continue down the path of academic and economic destruction to their hearts delight. It’s just that with School Choice, those parents who want to learn, and follow a different path, are allowed to do so.
Of course, this is precisely why ‘the State’ resists School Choice. When some parents, even a limited few, begin to make choices, and they begin to succeed, that will reflect badly on the State’s monopoly. The State thinks it’s better that everyone gets a trophy. Even it’s made of mud.
Still a little confused about the busing situation, I understand some kids will be on the bus for two hours or more, two hour ride into school, 6 hours in school, and another 2 hrs. home. A 10 hr. day for a kindergartener or first or second even third grader???? Isn’t that a little much to expect from kids that early? That would tire most adults out, and then add homework on top of that?? Kids are going to get a little antsy riding that long! This was really thought out right???
Student transportation, for public schools or independent schools, is not required by law. It’s a discretionary service. In my district, for example, students attending independent schools within the tuitioning School Choice governance may ride the districts school buses. And districts may choose to provide various other transportation services on a district by district basis – or provide no transportation at all.
§ 1222. Students who may be furnished transportation
(a) Each legal pupil, as defined in section 1073 of this title, who is entitled or required to attend an elementary school or a secondary school may be furnished with total or partial transportation to school, or board, as in the opinion of the school board is reasonable and necessary to enable the student to attend school. Each school board shall adopt a transportation policy for students required to attend school in accordance with the procedure specified in subdivision 563(1) of this title. The policy shall consider the transportation needs of students, including such factors as the age and health of a student, distance to be travelled, and condition and type of highway. The policy and any subsequent amendments shall be filed in the principal’s office in each school in the district. Compensation may be paid to parents or guardians and shall be payable only in return for actual transportation or board as shall be stipulated by the school board.
(b) The provisions of 23 V.S.A. § 376 relative to the use of motor vehicles for a municipal purpose shall apply to this section.
(c) Expenditures by a school district for transportation or board under this chapter shall be included in computing current school expenses under chapter 123 of this title. (Amended 1965, No. 102, § 1, eff. June 17, 1965; 1969, No. 298 (Adj. Sess.), § 8; 1971, No. 12; 2001, No. 61, § 75, eff. June 16, 2001; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 128, eff. Feb. 14, 2014.)
Throwing out transportation in a school choice discussion is a logical fallacy called whataboutism i.e. a red herring. It is used to say “see this is why we can’t allow parental choice in education”. I would also add the logical fallacy that parents can’t make the right choices for their kids is ALSO a red herring designed to discredit why school choice should not be allowed.
When a child is in a school that is not working for them, say the child is bullied or their IEP is not being honored or the child’s giftedness is not being served there HAS to be other options for the sake of the child. Why don’t we start there? What are the innovations that could occur if the people had the opportunity to innovate?
Transportation will work itself out. Parents will band together to make something work. Local communities will come together to solve this problem as it certainly can’t be solved by the Vermont Legislature. Transportation is an excuse to say “see parents can’t have school choice cuz how will they transport their kids there?” It is a problem best solved by the locals and NOT a reason for the legislature to stop parents from choosing the best school for their child. Right now they are trapped in a brick and mortar and it is no longer the 20th century.
This idea of school choice will totally transform the education system we know into one that works FOR KIDS not bureaucrats. New schools, smaller, local schools will pop up to fill the needs of the kids.
For the record: (Because it will stand being repeated as this conversation continues)
My school district’s proposed 2025 school budget was just published with both school governance systems in place for convenient juxtaposition. We have a K-6th grade public school monopoly. And a 7th & 8th grade Vermont Tuitioned School Choice program side by side.
Popularity: The public school per grade enrollments are 26% smaller in the K-6 ‘no choice’ monopoly than they are in the 7th & 8th grade School Choice program.
Cost: The public school per student costs are more than 20% higher in the K-6 ‘no choice’ monopoly than they are in the 7th & 8th grade School Choice program.
But then again, what does the average citizen know about school governance, cost benefit analysis, and student outcome? Surely Phil Baruth, Jill Krowinski, Governor Scott, and Ed. Secretary, Zoie Saunders, know what’s best for we little people. (Tsk, tsk)