click to enlarge - Alison Novak
- Saunders answering questions in the Senate Education Committee
Less than 24 hours before senators are slated to decide whether to confirm Zoie Saunders as Vermont’s next education secretary, Gov. Phil Scott on Monday asked the body’s leadership to delay the vote.
Scott contended in a letter that during Saunders’ vetting, “there has been a substantial amount of misinformation, false assumptions and politicization of Zoie’s record” that has become “toxic and unproductive.” He said he was “concerned about the prospects for a civil and fair Floor debate and vote.” He asked the Senate to consider postponing the decision “as we work together to deescalate the conversation and ensure accurate information is presented.”
“After all, this is a human we are talking about, not just a policy disagreement on a bill,” Scott said.
Scott cited a fundraising email sent by Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman’s campaign over the weekend as an example of misinformation. In it, Zuckerman said that during Saunders' time working for Charter Schools USA, she "received an award from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who has subjected Florida’s public schools to the right-wing movement to ban books and censor teachers’ ability to teach factual American history on race and sexuality."
On Monday, Zuckerman acknowledged that he erroneously stated it was DeSantis who gave the award and that Saunders was a "charter school executive" at the time.
Saunders' résumé states that she "spearheaded innovative education programs that earned the city of Fort Lauderdale recognition as a recipient of the Florida Department of Education’s Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award."
“There can be political missteps, and maybe I made one here,” Zuckerman said.
In an email reply to Zuckerman, Saunders pointed out she had never met DeSantis. Nor, she said, is she complicit in book-banning controversies there; she said Zuckerman had falsely cast her work as being part of "the culture wars."
“The treatment she is receiving from certain members of the Legislature, political organizations, lobbyists, the education establishment, and some advocates is not something we should be proud of,” Scott wrote.
But Senate leadership on Monday afternoon said the vote will go on as scheduled.
Ashley Moore, chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden-Central) told Seven Days that the vote "will not be delayed."
Sen. Alison Clarkson (D-Windsor), the Senate majority leader, said she believed it would be a "mistake" to postpone the vote,
citing the Senate’s workload. Clarkson has served in the legislature for 20 years and said she has never before seen the volume of public input regarding a nominee. She’s received hundreds of emails from people concerned about public education, she said.
“There has not been one supportive letter saying I should vote for her," Clarkson said. "Not one.”
Though Saunders was voted favorably out of the Senate Education Committee in a 3-2 vote last week, her confirmation by the full Senate is in doubt. The governor’s request for delay indicates that the administration believes it is in peril.
Scott announced his choice of Saunders, a former education strategist from Florida, as his pick for education secretary on March 22. The blowback was forceful. The Vermont Democratic and Progressive parties; Vermont-NEA; and organizations representing superintendents, principals and school board members pushed back. Many cited her lack of experience as a teacher, principal or superintendent and her nearly seven-year stint working at
for-profit charter school management company Charter Schools USA.
The governor, in turn,
scolded those "in and around" the Statehouse for what he said were character attacks on Saunders which "
appear to be based on the state she currently lives in, and a cherry-picked part of her resume..."
Saunders needs a majority of senators to approve her nomination. Given the
retirement of senator Dick Mazza (D-Grand Isle) earlier this month, that means 15 senators. It appears the vote may be close.
click to enlarge - File
- Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D-Chittenden-Central)
A number of senators have indicated that they will vote against Saunders’ confirmation. They include Sen. Martine Gulick (D-Chittenden-Central) and Sen. Nader Hashim (D-Windham), the two members of the education committee who voted against recommending Saunders favorably; Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor);
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D/P-Chittenden-Southeast) and Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D-Chittenden-Central).
In an
opinion piece for VTDigger.org
earlier this month, Vyhovsky wrote that Saunders’ “scant experience in public schools does not give me confidence in her ability to strengthen our public schools in this time of turmoil, and it further shows the governor’s lack of commitment to our public schools.”
Sen. Dick McCormack (D-Windsor) said on Monday that he's also a no.
In an interview with Saunders, McCormack said he found her to be an intelligent, likable person. “However, I’ve seen no enthusiasm for the mission of the Agency of Education," he said.
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- Sen. Thomas (D-Chittenden-Southeast)
Sen. Thomas Chittenden (D-Chittenden-Southeast), who some political insiders thought would support Saunders’ confirmation, told constituents in an email this weekend that “after a great deal of contemplation and due consideration,” he had also decided to vote against the appointment.
Chittenden wrote that he had been hopeful that an out-of-state candidate could bring “new thinking” into Vermont’s schools. But he decided to vote no. “I ultimately do not think she has enough relevant experience,” Chittenden wrote. “Sadly I do not see her résumé matching our challenges here in Vermont.”
Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) told
Seven Days on Monday that he is “leaning toward” supporting Saunders but was planning to review last week’s Senate Education Committee hearing before making a final decision.
Sears said he was “somewhat impressed” after meeting Saunders but worried about how effective she could be in the face of strong opposition from organizations that represent teachers and administrators working in schools.
Associations representing the state's superintendents, principals and school boards, as well as the Vermont-NEA, all publicly oppose Saunders’ confirmation.
In a letter to senators last week, Vermont Principals' Association associate executive director Mike McRaith, a former Montpelier High School principal, objected to the appointment partly because of her lack of knowledge of Vermont schools.
“Being a part of a school community is not just ‘strategic alignment’ and ‘data-driven analysis’ from spreadsheets and policy briefs,” McRaith wrote. “It is a fundamentally human experience. Learning — and developing schools where learning thrives — is extremely difficult and requires wisdom, generosity, humility, and at the core, genuine love for the work.”
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- Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington)
Sears recalled being a senator in 1994, when the Senate twice rejected several of then-governor Howard Dean’s appointees to the Environmental Board, now known as the Natural Resources Board.
It wasn’t a good look for either the governor or the Senate, Sears said, and should serve as a cautionary tale ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“I think we’re in uncharted territory,” Sears said. “To reject a secretary nomination is very serious and should be done very carefully.”
Kevin McCallum contributed reporting.