Gov. Phil Scott is disturbed.
Disturbed at “false accusations” and “judgements” that he said have been made about his pick for secretary of education, Zoie Saunders.
“I’ve been disappointed to see many in and around the State House spreading or believing misinformation, making assumptions and levying attacks on her character — all without ever having met her or spoken to her,” Scott said in a press release issued Thursday afternoon. He’s also “embarrassed” that legislators would believe what they read on “Twitter.”
(It’s actually called “X” now 🤮, so I expect a corrected release.)
Scott announced his choice for Vermont’s next secretary of education last Friday, almost a year after the last person in the post departed.
Detractors have flagged Saunders’ years as vice president of strategy at Charter Schools USA, a for-profit education management company that has drawn headlines for encouraging parents to “thank” conservative Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his education policies and managing a school with poor education outcomes while padding the pockets of its executives.
The Vermont Democratic Party quickly jumped to judgment, declaring its “grave concerns” about Saunders’ charter school and Florida background. On Wednesday, the Vermont Progressive Party announced its opposition to the proposed education secretary’s appointment.
The DeSantis links may not be wholly well-founded. A Federal Election Commission database shows that Saunders donated $100 in September 2020 to a political committee supporting President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
The governor may be up-in-arms about opposition to his appointment because it requires the approval of the Vermont Senate. And while gubernatorial appointees usually receive limited scrutiny, Saunders’ confirmation is facing far stronger headwinds.
Jason Maulucci, Scott’s spokesperson, said the administration is “hearing that campaigns might be launched” to oppose Saunders based on her “residency in Florida.”
“I’m confident that if senators get to know her,” he said, “they’ll come to see what the governor saw and what the independent State Board of Education … saw.” (The governor is required to choose a secretary from among at least three candidates put forward by the board.)
Opposition is brewing, but senators seem less fixated on Saunders’ southern roots than what they characterize as her limited public school experience and history advancing charter schools.
“My concern with the proposed appointment of the new secretary of education is her background is largely in for-profit charter school management,” Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, said in an interview, “which seems to indicate that a decision has been made to move further towards a private system.”
Vyhovsky also pointed to what she characterized as a lack of expertise in “public school management.” According to Saunders’ LinkedIn profile, she has worked since January as “chief strategy and innovation officer” at Broward County Public Schools, a job she started only after applying to be Vermont’s top public school official.
Before that, Saunders spent about five years as chief education officer for the city of Fort Lauderdale.
“She worked for the city, not the school, and that’s very different,” Vyhovsky said.
The Progressive/Democratic senator said she’s heard from “dozens” of constituents since Friday about their concerns regarding Saunders.
Vyhovsky’s colleague, Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, also said she was “concerned about (Saunders’) credentials.”
Sen. Martine Gulick, D-Chittenden Central, vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, said it was important to stay “open-minded and neutral” about Saunders before considering her appointment.
“I do have concerns about her work experience and understanding of education policy,” she said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, said his job is to ensure a “clean process” for Saunders
“We’re going to make sure that the nominee is heard and treated respectfully,” he said.
Baruth also said he expects the Senate Education Committee’s chair to pen a “more formal report” after hearing directly from Saunders.
As for the rhetoric coming from the Fifth Floor, Baruth noted that “the governor has been aggressive this year.”
“There’s been a little more name calling … than we’re used to,” he said.
The Senate Education Committee will first conduct a “full investigation” of Saunders before making a recommendation to the entire chamber, according to Senate rules. An education secretary requires a simple majority of senators to confirm their appointment.
Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, who leads the Senate Education Committee, said he plans to begin confirmation hearings as soon as April 15, when Saunders is scheduled to begin working.
“The senate will give her a fair hearing,” he said. “And I won’t take any formal position on how a vote on that hearing will go before hearing from her.”
— Ethan Weinstein
In the know
More people than ever are vaping in Vermont.
Survey results released this week by the Vermont Department of Health show the rate of e-cigarette use in the state doubled, from 3% to 6% of adult respondents, between 2016 and 2022. During that same six-year period, cigarette use dropped, from 17% to 13%, among those surveyed.
The results, released Tuesday, come as Gov. Phil Scott weighs whether to sign a ban on the sale of flavored e-liquids and tobacco substitutes. A department spokesperson said the timing of the report’s release was coincidental.
— Juan Vega de Sota
On the move
A bill that would make major changes to Act 250, Vermont’s half-century-old land-use law, appears likely to head to the Senate after it survived a marathon debate on the House floor this week.
The sprawling bill, H.687, would relax Act 250’s reach in some municipalities, allowing new development to proceed without triggering review under the state law. It also would direct a process for mapping out new “critical natural resource” areas, or places deemed so ecologically sensitive that putting a shovel in the ground would trigger Act 250. The bill would overhaul the current body that oversees the administration of Act 250, replacing it with a professionalized board that would take up appeals to Act 250 decisions instead of a judge.
Following a series of 10 amendments, the House voted 89-51 Wednesday night to advance the bill. It was scheduled for a final vote Thursday evening.
— Carly Berlin
Vermont’s public access television stations have a problem. As more and more people cancel their cable TV subscriptions in favor of online services — a practice known as “cutting the cord” — the local entities are losing out on badly needed revenue.
That’s because the state’s two dozen such stations get about 90% of their annual funding from cable companies. The cable providers are required, as part of their state permits, to set aside 5% of their revenue in the state for community programming.
One public access station — Town Meeting TV, which serves Chittenden County — has seen about a 20% drop in its revenue from cable since 2016, Lauren-Glenn Davitian, the station’s public policy director, testified to Senate lawmakers earlier this month.
These concerns have found an ear in the Legislature. The Senate advanced a bill on Thursday that would bolster local stations’ funding with a tax levied on the operating revenue that major online streaming companies make from users in Vermont.
S.181 has prompted opposition in Montpelier from those very companies. A lobbyist representing Netflix testified before the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month, and the Streaming Innovation Alliance — a national group that represents many large media companies including Disney and Paramount — submitted written testimony.
Read more here.
— Shaun Robinson
Visit our 2024 Bill tracker for the latest updates on major legislation we are following.
Junk mail
Welcome back to Junk Mail, where we highlight some of the most absurd PR pitches to hit our inboxes for your, but really our, entertainment.
Be warned: Of all 50 states in the union, little old Vermont is the “most likely to experience a paranormal event.” Trust me on this one — or really, trust CasinoSweeps.com, which also said in a Thursday press release that Vermonters are the “most likely to call the Ghostbusters.”
The release says that Vermont has an “incredible” number of cemeteries and historical buildings, which, combined with its “modest” population, creates a situation in which “the ghosts could quickly overwhelm the living if they were reanimated.” Not great!
CasinoSweeps also notes that there are 63 places in Vermont that have been “reported as haunted.” Ghost activity, it would seem, is already pretty high in the state.
“Whether real or not — it doesn’t bode well,” the release says. I’m inclined to agree.
— Shaun Robinson
What we’re reading
Vermont House advances bill to pause PCB testing in schools as costs mount, Vermont Public
Rising costs and property tax hikes again threaten the survival of small schools, Seven Days
Upper Valley residents pan post office plan to move mail sorting to Connecticut, Valley News
