By Guy Page
The Vermont House today passed S139, giving the Vermont Agency of Education oversight over the naming of public school mascots. The bill now heads to the governor for his signature.
The bill is intended to stop or prevent the use of racist or discriminatory mascots such as “Indians” or “Redskins” or the supposedly KKK-ish “Galloping Ghosts” of Randolph Union High School. It requires disputes to go before local school boards first, but if unresolved can be appealed the the Secretary of Education.
S139 received preliminary approval yesterday by a 96-47 margin. It passed on a voice vote today. Several lawmakers registered disapproval after the roll call vote.
“Once again, this body has ripped local control of – and local decision making for – education from our local communities”
– Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe)
“Leave the decision at the local level,” Democrat John Arrison of Weathersfield said. “Engage the students, the school board, and the public. Use the opportunity as a learning tool. Legislation will only widen and split the community further.”
Republican Heidi Scheuermann took a firm “local control” line.
“Once again, this body has ripped local control of – and local decision making for – education from our local communities,” the Stowe lawmaker said. “From the Montpelier-centric funding of our education to its delivery; from decisions on what curriculum to offer to what kind of cleaning products to buy; from forcing proficiency-based learning and grading onto our schools to forcing the actual elimination of school districts; this body has decided over and over again that we know better than the local officials in our communities.
“And, we have done it again today,” Scheuermann continued. “We know better than our local school boards, our local teachers, our local administrators, the parents and students of our
communities. And, damn it, if they disagree with us, then we will just force it on them.”
Essex Democrat Rey Garofano spoke strongly in favor: “I voted yes because as a mother of a Black child in our public schools I have first-hand knowledge of racism in our schools. This bill takes an important step in ensuring my daughter, who has experienced racism in every school she has attended, will feel safer and protected in our public schools.”
Rep. Dave Yacovone (D-Morristown) noted what he said is inconsistency in the ‘local control’ argument: “This is a serious issue. Yet, I found myself sitting in amusement during the
discussion. Some of those same champions of local control who plead with us to let the locals rule are the same people who recoil at charter changes despite overwhelming local support. Madam Speaker, our inconsistencies define us.”
The roll call is as follows:
Garofano of Essex Yea*
Yacovone of Morristown Yea*
Ancel of Calais Yea
Anthony of Barre City Yea
Austin of Colchester Yea
Bartholomew of Hartland Yea
Birong of Vergennes Yea
Black of Essex Yea
Bluemle of Burlington Yea
Bock of Chester Yea
Bongartz of Manchester Yea
Bos-Lun of Westminster Yea
Brady of Williston Yea
Briglin of Thetford Yea
Brown of Richmond Yea
Brownell of Pownal Yea
Brumsted of Shelburne Yea
Burke of Brattleboro Yea
Burrows of West Windsor Yea
Campbell of St. Johnsbury Yea
Chase of Colchester Yea
Christie of Hartford Yea
Cina of Burlington Yea
Coffey of Guilford Yea
Colburn of Burlington Yea
Colston of Winooski Yea
Conlon of Cornwall Yea
Copeland Hanzas of Bradford Yea
Corcoran of Bennington Yea
Cordes of Lincoln Yea
Dolan of Essex Yea
Dolan of Waitsfield Yea
Donahue of Northfield Yea
Donnally of Hyde Park Yea
Durfee of Shaftsbury Yea
Elder of Starksboro Yea
Emmons of Springfield Yea
Gannon of Wilmington Yea
Goldman of Rockingham Yea
Grad of Moretown Yea
Hooper of Burlington Yea
Hooper of Randolph Yea
Houghton of Essex Yea
Howard of Rutland City Yea
James of Manchester Yea
Jerome of Brandon Yea
Kascenska of Burke Yea
Killacky of South Burlington Yea
Kimbell of Woodstock Yea
Kornheiser of Brattleboro Yea
LaLonde of South Burlington Yea
Lanpher of Vergennes Yea
Lippert of Hinesburg Yea
Long of Newfane Yea
Masland of Thetford Yea
McCarthy of St. Albans City Yea
McCormack of Burlington Yea
McCullough of Williston Yea
Mrowicki of Putney Yea
Mulvaney-Stanak of Burlington Yea
Nicoll of Ludlow Yea
Nigro of Bennington Yea
Notte of Rutland City Yea
Noyes of Wolcott Yea
O’Brien of Tunbridge Yea
Ode of Burlington Yea
Pajala of Londonderry Yea
Patt of Worcester Yea
Pearl of Danville Yea
Pugh of South Burlington Yea
Rachelson of Burlington Yea
Rogers of Waterville Yea
Satcowitz of Randolph Yea
Scheu of Middlebury Yea
Sheldon of Middlebury Yea
Sibilia of Dover Yea
Sims of Craftsbury Yea
Small of Winooski Yea
Squirrell of Underhill Yea
Stebbins of Burlington Yea
Stevens of Waterbury Yea
Sullivan of Dorset Yea
Surprenant of Barnard Yea
Taylor of Colchester Yea
Till of Jericho Yea
Toleno of Brattleboro Yea
Townsend of South Burlington Yea
Troiano of Stannard Yea
Vyhovsky of Essex Yea
Walz of Barre City Yea
Webb of Shelburne Yea
White of Bethel Yea
White of Hartford Yea
Whitman of Bennington Yea
Wood of Waterbury Yea
Yantachka of Charlotte Yea
Krowinski of Burlington Not Voting
Arrison of Weathersfield Nay*
Scheuermann of Stowe Nay*
Achey of Middletown Springs Nay
Beck of St. Johnsbury Nay
Brennan of Colchester Nay
Burditt of West Rutland Nay
Canfield of Fair Haven Nay
Cupoli of Rutland City Nay
Dickinson of St. Albans Town Nay
Feltus of Lyndon Nay
Goslant of Northfield Nay
Graham of Williamstown Nay
Gregoire of Fairfield Nay
Hango of Berkshire Nay
Harrison of Chittenden Nay
Helm of Fair Haven Nay
Higley of Lowell Nay
Labor of Morgan Nay
LaClair of Barre Town Nay
Laroche of Franklin Nay
Lefebvre of Newark Nay
Lefebvre of Orange Nay
Leffler of Enosburgh Nay
Marcotte of Coventry Nay
Martel of Waterford Nay
Mattos of Milton Nay
McCoy of Poultney Nay
McFaun of Barre Town Nay
Morgan of Milton Nay
Morgan of Milton Nay
Morris of Springfield Nay
Morrissey of Bennington Nay
Murphy of Fairfax Nay
Norris of Sheldon Nay
Norris of Shoreham Nay
Page of Newport City Nay
Palasik of Milton Nay
Parsons of Newbury Nay
Peterson of Clarendon Nay
Rosenquist of Georgia Nay
Shaw of Pittsford Nay
Smith of Derby Nay
Strong of Albany Nay
Terenzini of Rutland Town Nay
Toof of St. Albans Town Nay
Walker of Swanton Nay
Williams of Granby Nay
Fagan of Rutland City Absent
Hooper of Montpelier Absent
Jessup of Middlesex Absent
Kitzmiller of Montpelier Absent
Partridge of Windham Absent
Smith of New Haven Absent