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________________________________________ THE VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT
February 06, 2006 - Vol. 6, No. 06
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Covering education news in Vermont and beyond...
Informative, provocative, unique...
Published by Vermonters for Better Education
VBE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence. Libby Sternberg, executive director: VTBetterEd@aol.com
NEWS & ANALYSIS...FRIDAY VOTE ON S.132
The Senate Education Committee could vote this Friday on the early education bill, S.132, that authorizes "universal" prek -- early education for rich and poor alike at public expense.
The committee is scheduled to hear testimony this week almost every day on S.132 -- superintendents from various districts will speak to the committee, and Commissioner of Education Richard Cate and Early Education Program Coordinator Jim Squires are also on the agenda.
The superintendents' testimony is likely to be an endorsement of universal early ed, but what will the Commissioner say? His "boss" -- the State Board of Education -- is still in the process of taking a position on this topic. Past behavior indicates that Cate is a big supporter of publicly-funded universal preschool. He's said as much in public forums and on public radio. If the SBOE decides only to support public funding for at-risk students, that puts the Commissioner in a tricky position. Does he continue to push for his own point of view -- taxpayer-financed universal early ed -- or does he toe the line for the SBOE?
VBR TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF S.132's "DIRECTION"
The Vermont Business Roundtable testified before the Senate Education Committee last week on two issues -- Governor Jim Douglas's "Promise Scholarship" plan and early education. As reported previously, the VBR was a bit touchy in the past when this newsletter suggested it had supported an early ed bill. The VBR doesn't support "specific" legislation, said its president, Lisa Ventriss.
In testimony last week, VBR representative Tim Volk told the committee that the Roundtable does support the "direction" of S.132. Volk also told the committee that the Roundtable believes that "school choice at the preschool level is vitally important to working families" and those families should be allowed to choose a program without penalty.
That stipulation, though, is at odds with S.132, which does not include ironclad choice provisions. It's hard to reconcile how one can support the direction of a bill that veers so far off from something "vitally important."
NEW BILL COULD RESTRICT CHOICES OF CHILDREN OF DIVORCE
The House Education Committee this week will hear remarks on a new bill, H.387, that would restrict kids of divorced parents to the school in the district where the custodial parent resides.
Here's the story: current statute allows children of divorce the option of attending school where EITHER parent resides. But H.387 -- introduced by Rep. Philip Bartlett (R-Dover), Patrick Brennan (R-Colchester), Warren Kitzmiller (D-Montpelier), Leigh Larocque (R-St. Johnsbury), Richard Lawrence (R-Lyndonville), Norman McAllister (R-Franklin), John Winters (R-Swanton) and Philip Winters (R-Williamstown) -- would change the statute so that the legal residence of a child whose parents are divorced is defined as the legal residence of "the custodial parent." Therefore, the kid has to go to school in that district and that district alone (unless the parents fork over money for tuition elsewhere, that is).
You have to feel sorry for the children caught in the middle in this one. Imagine a kid whose parents divorce and the custodial parent moves out of the original school district. Not only does the child have to go through the turmoil of the divorce, he/she also has to get used to a new school. Under current statute, however, that kid could stay in the original district if one parent resides there. If H.387 passes, the kid loses out. What are these representatives thinking?
STATE BOARD AD HOC COMMITTEE STILL DELIBERATING
The State Board of Education's ad hoc committee on early education continues to wrestle with the topic, hoping to present a recommendation for an SBOE policy to the full board at its February 21 meeting.
SBOE ad hoc committee members have been hearing from folks who want to maintain the status quo, with money subsidizing free preschool for all children, regardless of whether a parent can afford to pay.
Supporters of universal preK are hitting hard on the argument that universal preschool is important so that disadvantaged children are in classes with their more advantaged peers.
But who says they won't be in such classes if funding only flows to at-risk kids? Thousands of parents pay for childcare in Vermont every day. Why should they decide not to pay if their kids are in a good program?
SBOE members need to hear from those who support preK money only for at-risk kids with money following the child. Here are names and email addresses for SBOE members:
SBOE Ad hoc early ed committee:
Tom James: tomjames1@adelphia.net
Chris Robbins: Chris.Robbins@EHV-Weidmann.com
Ruth Stokes: rstokes123@aol.com
Matthew Francis: matthew_francis@cvuhs.orgOther SBOE members are:
William Corrow: wbcorrow@aol.com
Linday Caslin: caz1072@yahoo.com
Lisa Cox: Cox@sover.net
Rick Manahan: RMan@together.net
Diane Mueller: Dmueller@okemo.com
Susan Schill: schills@wildblue.net
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WEIGH IN ON EARLY ED OR SCHOOL CHOICE -- OR OTHER EDUCATION ISSUES?
If you'd like to contact members of the Senate Education Committee, their email addresses are below. You can also leave a message for them by calling the Statehouse at 1-800-322-5616.
Members of the Senate Education Committee:
-- Senator Don Collins of Franklin District, Chair, dcollins@leg.state.vt.us (supports S.132, the early ed bill)
-- Senator Bill Doyle of Washington District, Vice-Chair, wdoyle@leg.state.vt.us (position unknown on S.132)
-- Senator Jim Condos of Chittenden District, jcondos@leg.state.vt.us (supports S.132)
-- Senator Bobby Starr of Essex-Orleans District, bstarr@leg.state.vt.us (position unknown on S.132)
-- Senator Wendy Wilton of Rutland District, WWilton@leg.state.vt.us (opposes S.132)You can also consider writing letters to the editor. Here are some newspaper addresses in key senators' districts:
Times Argus
540 N. Main Street
PO Box 707
Barre, VT 05641
802.479.0191
letters@timesargus.comCounty Courier
209 Main Street
Enosburgh Falls 05450
802-933-4375
county.courier@verizon.netSt. Albans Messenger
Daily/5100
St. Albans 05478-2503
802-524-9771
Editor, Emerson Lynn
opinions@samessenger.comBurlington Free Press
College Street
Burlington 05401
802-865-4600
letters@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.comVermont Guardian
Northern Vermont: PO Box 335,
Winooski, VT 05404
Southern Vermont: 139 Main Street, Suite 702,
Brattleboro, VT 05301
802.861.4880
877.231.5382 (toll-free)
info@vermontguardian.comOther Paper
South Burlington 05403
802-864-6670
otherpaper@adelphia.netBusiness People VT
1233 Shelburne Road
South Burlington 05401
802-862-4109
editorial@vermontguides.comSeven Days
29 Church Street
Burlington 05401-4417
802-864-5684
letters@sevendaysvt.comColchester Sun 14 Main Street
Essex Junction 05452-3132
802-878-5282
news@essexreporter.comShelburne News
1929 Shelburne Road
Shelburne 05482-7171
802-985-3091
news@shelburnenews.comVermont Times
Webster Road
Shelburne 05482
802-985-2400
grahamcomm@adelphia.net
editor: Roz Graham 985-2490* * *
COMMENTARY..."FOR THE CHILDREN"
by Libby SternbergThe early ed debate swirls around what's best "for the children." Everyone wants to do what's right, what will enhance children's ability to achieve success later in life.
To do that, however, we have to make sure we are using our resources wisely. If resources were limitless, we could afford to throw money, time and energy at any number of programs hoping that some would provide useful benefits.
Unfortunately, our resources are not limitless. So reason must trump hope, or at least temper it.
Reason tells us this: early education programs might help poor children ("might" is the key word) for a limited amount of time. Despite extraordinary claims by universal preschool supporters about returns on dollars spent, there is absolutely no conclusive evidence that any emptying of the public purse for public early ed programs results in significant paybacks over time.
Reason also tells us that wherever these programs are initiated they always - always - end up costing much more than proponents promise. Here in Vermont, that promise will be broken quickly because some proponents are claiming it won't cost us any more money AT ALL, that dollars already in the Education Fund can be used for this purpose.
Reason is often muted, however, by the insistent whisper of hope. We hope all children will succeed. We especially want disadvantaged children to succeed so that they can experience the potential this great country offers all its citizens. We want them to know the joy of accomplishment and we want them to become productive citizens contributing to the common good. We hope that we can find something - some program somewhere - to unlock the doors to these children's potential.
It is only natural, then, that compassionate people let that whisper of hope drown out the fainter strains of reason.
But it isn't compassionate to use up precious resources - money, time, energy - on programs that don't deliver when those resources would be better spent on programs that are more useful, more grounded in proven results.
Such is the case, in fact, already in some communities where efforts to move to full-day kindergarten are being stymied as the local school looks to jump on the pre-school bandwagon.
Such will be the case in many more communities when politicians will be hard pressed to make the case for more education funding in general as universal preschool programs eat up available cash without demonstrating the extravagant benefits that proponents claim.
Taxpayers often live by the old cliché - fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. They won't be fooled again if supporters of universal preK plead for "more" in the future. As evidenced by school budget vote-downs, taxpayers are already skittish about education spending. Their cynicism can only harden when universal preschool fails to deliver on its preposterous promises.
What is especially troubling about this rush to universal preschool is the reliance on research dealing with programs and populations no one is talking about mimicking here in Vermont. Several studies, in particular, dealt only with severely disadvantaged kids and involved expensive and intensive interventions. No one is proposing that here, yet these studies are used to demonstrate both the need and the fantastic benefits of universal preschool.
The Senate Education Committee will soon vote on whether to embed in statute universal preschool programs funded by Vermont taxpayers. Let's hope - for the children's sake - that they listen to reason.
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WHO COVERS EDUCATION IN VERMONT?
We do! Consider a gift to Vermonters for Better Education, the publisher of the weekly Vermont Education Report, Vermont's ONLY continual source of education news. Send donations to: VBE, 170 Church Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701. VBE is a nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.
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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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