[T]he State Board of Education monthly meeting opened with a controversy over leadership.
Board member Krista Huling handily won a seat as the new chair, but a dustup ensued over a proposal to make Bill Mathis the vice chair. Last year Mathis was embroiled in a controversy over private school rules that led members to question whether he should serve in a top position.
Two newly appointed members of the board criticized Mathis for the role he played in the dispute. A majority of the board, however, voted Mathis in as vice chair.
Former Windsor Sen. John Carroll, recently appointed to the board by the governor, said “It is not about the candidate’s positions or anything, it is about the process (draft rules) and it is about perception.”
On Monday, Gov. Phil Scott tapped Carroll and John O’Keefe, town manager for Manchester, for the board. In February, the terms of former Chair Stephan Morse and Vice Chair Sean-Marie Oller ended.
Since the fall, the board has been enmeshed in a controversy over draft rules that would change the way the board reviews private schools that accept publicly funded students.
O’Keefe said he voted against Mathis because he wanted a vice chair that could “build consensus across the board.”
Mathis agreed the rules could have been handled better, but he defended his position. “Think about what these rules imply, this is about equality and equity of opportunity for all children regardless of where they come from or whether they are special education students,” Mathis said. “If you like those stands then vote for me, if you don’t vote against me.”
The board voted 8-2 to elect Mathis vice chair.
Williamstown School Board member Rama Schneider, said that private schools need to be accountable for public dollars, too, and they need to explain their finances and allow all-comers. “As we move forward I hope the state board realizes the rules are not about the independent schools but the children,” Schneider said.
About a dozen people attended the meeting to make a case for alternative approaches to school district consolidation under Act 46.
Hazen School Board member David Kelley said the board should allow for more flexibility for district mergers in rural areas of the state.
“Rural is an asset not a liability, that is why we live in Vermont,” Kelley said. “As you move forward, please appreciate that fact.”
Margaret MacLean, of Peacham, urged the board to write clear guidelines for districts that are having difficulty finding a way to merge under Act 46. Communities need more transparency from the secretary of education about how she will make decisions about school districts that don’t merge, MacLean said.
“How exactly the secretary will ‘do it to you’ in complex situations where local communities have grappled with the rules and rejected plans at the ballot box for legitimate reasons, is unknown,” MacLean said. “Personally, I find this lack of a clear public process a great risk for the secretary and for the board.”
Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe said towns have to work together to create a positive future.
“Not doing anything is not an option. Reboot if you want to protect what you care about,” Holcombe said.
The board ran out of time to deliberate on the private school rules and will put off a decision until the next meeting.
“We couldn’t give it the due diligence to have a vote. It is definitely paused right now because the committee has to think about its process in a thoughtful way,” Huling said.
Sen. Phil Baruth, D-Chittenden, wants the board to suspend action until a study group can make recommendations.
A Senate bill, S.130, would set up a study committee made up of lawmakers and public and private school representatives who would dig into issues raised by the draft rules and make recommendations to the board by January 2018.
Huling supports the study committee idea because the legislation ensures the Agency of Education will provide data and support. “There are definitely some issues that will help us even looking at how the data is given to the agency from independent schools – just working that out would be helpful.”
She added that she would like some additions to the study group including a representative from the human rights commission and some people from local education agencies that deal with special education on a daily basis.
