This commentary is by Brianne Goodspeed of Hartford.
My heart aches for the Ziporyn family as they fight for their son, Noah, to secure a free appropriate public education in the state of Vermont. Like the Ziporyns, I understand firsthand how “the whole system is designed not to educate a certain subset of the population.” Unlike the Ziporyns, I gave up fighting years ago. I decided my energy would be better spent doing the job myself.
Since August 2022, my son has been enrolled in home study with the Vermont Agency of Education. When the Agency of Education asks in its annual paperwork what accommodations I intend to provide for my son in lieu of the services provided in his IEP, I reply that homeschooling is the accommodation. The agency rubber stamps the application, and we all get back to our busy lives.
I’ll say it again: homeschooling is the accommodation. Some kids — often those with autism or a history of trauma — are simply going to be more comfortable and “ready to learn” in a smaller, more predictable setting. This is not a criticism of special education or Vermont’s public schools, and it’s certainly not a criticism of families who make different decisions.
It’s just to say that kids — like adults — are not one size fits all. Vermont should have educational policies that reflect that.
Although I homeschool my own son, I am not necessarily an advocate of homeschooling. I don’t think it’s right for all children, or all families. It comes at a cost. And, all things considered, I think the public schools probably do the best job for the majority of kids.
But not all kids.
For that reason, I am an advocate of school choice and a greater diversity of educational options, especially for the families of special needs children in the state of Vermont.
I understand what Pallas Ziporyn means when she says, “We feel totally invisible to the rest of the world.” I think families like the Ziporyns deserve options other than lengthy legal battles they’ll never win to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. And I think families like the Rinder-Goddards deserve options other than moving to Georgia.
And I think I deserve at least a box of #2 pencils for my $8,000 property tax bill for schools my own son can’t even attend, especially while our district’s superintendent parachutes into retirement with a broken contract and a year’s severance of more than $200,000. (I get it. Life’s not fair. Death and taxes. But a girl can dream.)
When it comes to education policy, of course, we all know that it’s not about what the adults deserve. It’s about what Vermont’s kids — all our kids — deserve.
They all deserve equal consideration, despite differing needs.
They all deserve a quality education in a peaceful setting.
They deserve sound public policy on complex issues that affect their lives and their futures.
And they deserve lawmakers who listen to a variety of concerns from a variety of constituents, and then sort out sound public policy, rather than knee-jerk reactions to public opinion or lobbying efforts.
Instead, what’s happening in education policy in Vermont seems like a frightening and almost fanatical opposition to anything resembling school choice, regardless of the reason, exemplified by the intense opposition organized against Zoie Saunders, Gov. Phil Scott’s choice for education secretary, this spring.
The opposition solidified against Saunders before anyone seemed to know anything about her, other than that she’s from Florida — therefore guilty by association — and has worked in charter schools. Again, guilty by association.
Well, I might be the only person in Vermont other than Gov. Scott who feels this way, but I’m glad — at least so far — that Zoie Saunders is here and that she didn’t just pack up and leave in the midst of such a hostile reception.
I’d like to know her ideas about the funding formula and reining in taxes.
I’d like to see her push back against the union lobbying efforts that are influencing our lawmakers.
Most of all, I’d like to know what she proposes to meet the educational needs of children like ours.
At the very least, maybe our children are not invisible to her.
