________________________________________  VERMONTERS FOR BETTER EDUCATION REACTION TO STATE STALLING ON IMPLEMENTING CHOICE August 21, 2002 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯  Vermonters for Better Education reacted strongly to the news that Vermont will delay implementing the school choice component of the No Child Left Behind Act while it waits for new data to come in. In a strongly-worded letter to Commissioner of Education Raymond J. McNulty, [included below] VBE Executive Director Libby Sternberg urged the Commissioner to reconsider his decision to delay implementation of the choice component of the new law. "While several prominent champions of our public school system (and opponents of school choice) send or sent their own children to private schools, Vermont has slammed the door in the face of low-income parents who would merely have had the opportunity to choose another public school," she wrote. "This is shameful." Under the NCLB Act, 28 schools in Vermont were designated as "needing improvement." While students in all 28 schools are now eligible for supplemental services, students in six schools also would have been able to choose other schools within their district this fall. However, according to an Associated Press story this morning, the Department will wait until the fall to evaluate new data on the schools, and thus can delay choice options for those schools, or close the door on choice entirely if the new data suggest enough improvement has taken place. The Department, according to the article, is taking this action based on advice received from U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. Paige sent letters to numerous states whose new assessment results are not available until the fall. Sternberg pointed out that the six schools represent less than 2 percent of the total number of public schools in Vermont. "Yet you could not see your way to open the door to choice for parents in this tiny number of schools," she wrote to McNulty. Sternberg also took issue with the fact that the Department made this decision with little or no public comment. "The Department has been quick to draw media attention to Vermont's 'good news,' but made this decision with no public fanfare or high profile opportunity for discussion," she wrote in her letter. She urged McNulty to allow choice as soon as the new assessment information is available, instead of waiting until the "second term of the 2002-2003" school year. According to the U.S. Department of Education, states should offer choice "as soon as possible" after the information is available, or no later than the second term of the 2002-2003 school year.   * * * LETTER * * * August 21, 2002 Raymond J. McNulty Vermont Commissioner of Education 120 State Street Montpelier, Vermont 05620-2501 Dear Commissioner McNulty: It was with sadness, frustration, and anger that I read an Associated Press story this morning that indicated the Department of Education will delay implementation of school choice possibilities in Vermont. Specifically, the article said that the six schools that would have had to offer choice to their students under the new No Child Left Behind Act now can wait while new data is analyzed. In the article, your comments focused exclusively on the problems the schools faced. But what about the problems of low-income students who cannot afford to choose any school but the one chosen for them by "the mere fortuity of their residence" - to quote the Brigham decision. While several prominent champions of our public school system (and opponents of school choice) send or sent their own children to private schools, Vermont has slammed the door in the face of low-income parents who would merely have had the opportunity to choose another public school. This is shameful. These six schools represent less than 2 percent of the total number of public schools in Vermont. Yet you could not see your way to open the door to choice for parents in this tiny number of schools. I respectfully request that you reconsider your decision and allow choice to move forward in those six schools this fall. I also request that if you should consider such actions in the future regarding choice, you allow the public to comment on your plans. The Department has been quick to draw media attention to Vermont's "good news," but made this decision with no public fanfare or high-profile opportunity for discussion. Finally, I request that if the new assessment information shows that these or other schools in Vermont should open their doors to choice, you not wait until the "second term of the 2002-2003 school year" but offer choice "as soon as possible" - immediately - as Secretary Paige's guidelines suggest. Sincerely, Libby Sternberg Executive Director Vermonters for Better Education  *    *    * The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education 170 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802.773.5240 Contact VTBetterEd@aol.com for more information.

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