Education secretary pick upsets lawmakers, educators

Less than a week later, Scott issued a statement defending his nominee and excoriating her unnamed critics.

“I’ve been disappointed to see many in and around the Statehouse spreading or believing misinformation, making assumptions and levying attacks on her character — all without ever having met her or spoken to her,” Scott said.

He reiterated his support for Saunders as someone who “cares deeply about improving outcomes for students — and has a track record of doing just that — and who also has the strategic leadership experience we need to address our significant cost challenges in a way that best serves kids, teachers, schools, employers and taxpayers.”

In the time between governor’s announcement and subsequent statement, the Vermont media has looked into Saunders’ career, mostly administrative work in the for-profit education sector with little to no experience in public education as a teacher or administrator.

All this transpired before the Vermont Senate, whose approval Saunders must receive before she takes her post, has had a chance to take testimony or question her.

Saunders is currently the chief strategy and innovation officer of Broward County Public Schools in Florida, the sixth largest school district in the country, but only took the position after she was recommended to Scott by the State Board of Education along with two other unnamed candidates.

Before her recent employment, Saunders was chief education officer for Charter Schools USA, which runs 87 schools in seven states, including 61 in Florida. The schools run on a model in which public money is used at for-profit schools.

Jennifer Samuelson, chair of the state board of education, declined to name the other two candidates that the governor chose Saunders over, citing “executive privilege,” but said that all three candidates put to the governor to consider met the qualifications required of the position in state statute.

“The board was unanimous in its decision to submit the name of Ms. Saunders and the two other candidates to the governor for his further consideration based upon its conclusion that all three candidates satisfied the requirements set forth in statute, as well as the board's job posting. Beyond that, they each performed well in their interviews,” Samuelson said.

A critic of recent policy changes and rising property tax rates associated with education costs in Vermont, Scott said in early March that decisions on school spending may need to grow more concentrated at the state, rather than local, level.

Educators weigh in

Lamoille South Supervisory Union superintendent Ryan Heraty, who oversees the Stowe and Elmore-Morristown school districts, was a vocal critic of the changes to state education funding that saw some of his schools, particularly those in Stowe, become more costly to local taxpayers.

With the Morristown-Elmore budget failing on Town Meeting Day and Stowe’s being approved a short time later, Heraty didn’t shy away from voicing his concerns about Saunders’ candidacy.

At a joint meeting of the House ways and means and education committees last week, Heraty told lawmakers that supporting the Agency of Education should be a goal, but worried Saunders would prevent that from happening.

“Our lack of a transparent data system and technical support provided for schools is extremely frustrating,” Heraty said following his testimony. “We need a clear vision for public education and true leadership to get us there. The secretary of education should be that person and I worry that she will be starting with limited support due to her charter school background.”

Heraty went on to claim that the state board of education has heavily supported independent schools that are “not held to (public schools’) standards for transparency and serving all students,” such as their exclusion from state-mandated testing and their ability to accept private donations.

“We will give her our support and hope that new ideas will lead to transformation,” Heraty said. “It is concerning that she has never served as a teacher, principal or superintendent and has an extensive background in charter schools.”

Heraty was concerned primarily with the four biggest independent schools in Vermont — Thetford Academy, Lyndon Institute, St. Johnsbury Academy and Burr and Burton — now entitled to public money following a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Catherine Gallagher — the superintendent for the Lamoille North Supervisory Union, which will soon hold a second vote on its budget to fund four elementary schools — also voiced her trepidation regarding the nominee.

“The ideal secretary of education would have, in their background, a robust experience in public education — as a teacher, as a principal, as leader in education, as a superintendent,” Gallagher said. “That being said, I have not met (Saunders) and I welcome anyone to Vermont with an open mind.

“My understanding is that this particular candidate has different experiences, and I don’t know that this means they won’t be good experiences for us but I also believe in public education, and to really understand public education, you have to work in public education.”

Don Tinney, president of the Vermont chapter of the National Education Association, issued a statement on March 27 saying that he met with Saunders and had positive things to say about her as a person, but was deeply critical of her background and candidacy.

Jeff Francis, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association, declined to comment on Saunders’ candidacy, but also spoke at the same joint hearing as Heraty last week. In his general comments, he urged lawmakers to not be too hasty when addressing education funding.

“We’re at the point now where we’re trying to respond to a crisis, I think there’s a real risk we run if we try to apply fixes in the short-term, when the primary goal is an equitable system,” Francis said, warning lawmakers they should be anticipating the challenges on the horizon rather than reacting to those of the present.

Lawmakers

Sen. Rich Westman, R-Cambridge, who represents all of Lamoille County save Stowe, is upset that the conversation has boiled over before he and his fellow senators have had a chance to weigh in on the process.

“I’m a little disappointed in the whole discussion thus far,” Westman said. “The normal process is that a committee of jurisdiction takes the bill up and interviews the person and has testimony. I know nothing about the person (Scott) chose. I’ve had lots of people emailing me about it, but you let the process work, let the committee of jurisdiction do its work.”

Westman said he has a lot of respect for Senate Committee on Education chair Brian Campion, a Bennington College professor and a Democrat, and expected him to run a thorough approval process.

“I think it’s jumping the gun to get in front of the committee that has jurisdiction,” Westman said. “Quite frankly, it’s not respectful to the process that we’ve gone through for decades and decades, where a name gets put up and we go through a process to figure out who the people are.”

While the Vermont Progressive Party has announced its opposition to Saunders’ appointment, Andrew Perchlik, D/P-Marshfield, who also represents Stowe, said he’s reserving judgment, though he has concerns.

“I’m not impressed by the resume,” he said. “That said, I do think you’re innocent until proven guilty. I’m encouraging the Senate Education Committee to have a thorough hearing on the nomination and ask her tough questions and possibly ask other points of view to come testify. Based on what her answers are to the questions, how she can really respond and how the education committee feels about the nomination is something that I would take into account.”

Anne Cummings, D-Montpelier, another of Stowe’s three senators, also wants to get a chance to interview Saunders within the Senate Committee on Finance. She chairs the committee, and her position has made her a high-profile figure in the ongoing discussions on education funding and property taxes.

“We have been without a secretary of education for almost a year, and the education system definitely has some issues,” she said. “We’re really going to need someone we can trust at the helm.”