By Peter Langella
Dear HUUSD Board:
I've been one of Superintendent Nease's most vocal critics, first as a member of the board representing Moretown from 2016-2018, and then for the past two years as a community activist and organizer.
I've been open and direct with my views when I think decisions and processes have been ineffective, pedagogically unsound and/or inequitable.
It's important, then, for me to make sure to write to you today to say that I think Brigid's latest letter to the community was honest, brave, timely and overdue.
Thank you, Brigid (I know you're reading this).
As a curriculum leader in another district who spent a good part of my spring and early summer working with a team of educators developing opening plans and schedules for my administration and other stakeholders to vet, there were no good options. Each version of in-person, hybrid or online learning had a unique set of challenges and trade-offs that never felt quite right. While we know how powerful in-person learning is for many students, it isn't inherently better than online learning, especially when that online learning is designed in a really intentional way. In the light of the pandemic and leading with the assumption that distanced, masked, in-person learning would not be the same as the in-person learning our students experienced until March of this year, many educators felt -- and still feel -- that online (or remote, as many are saying) learning will actually be a better environment.
I'm well aware there are more factors in this equation than just classroom learning. There are the closely related layers of socialization, mental health and special education, among others; and there are the more systemic challenges of food insecurity, access to child care, disproportionate impacts based on race and the economy.
All of this is to say that while I respect those who feel differently, I think the HUUSD's reopening plan is among the best I've seen. It tries to center health and safety, and it tries to account for many of the unknowns that Superintendent Nease spoke to in her letter.
Remember, we're in a pandemic. This is unprecedented.
And, Brigid was completely accurate in her characterization of how the state has communicated (or not) with districts. "Under the guise of local control and the need to respond flexibly to the differences in each district, leaders were told by state officials to basically go figure it out."
It's sad, but it's true. And Brigid is one of the only education leaders willing to say so publicly.
So what, you might be saying, and to this I'll get to what I think are the four main points:
1) Because of Brigid's openness on this topic, we can have a more open conversation about pandemic learning in this district. There aren't any easy solutions, and we don't have very much support. At least we know that. Some other districts are publishing sunshine and roses plans, and those are a disservice to their communities.
2) You, the HUUSD Board, should use your social capital to partner with other boards and the Vermont School Boards Association to advocate for statewide plans (which are more than guidance). The VT-NEA asked for a statewide commission on reopening schools. It was dismissed as political posturing. Maybe Brigid's letter, which is going viral a bit in the education world right now, can be the catalyst for the VT-NEA and VSBA to partner on one of the most important decisions either group will ever make/advocate for/take part in, etc.
3) Take community engagement seriously. It's no secret that a majority of the HUUSD has not agreed with your plans (that was confirmed with the budget vote in March). One of the main reasons for this is the lack of community engagement. You didn't take it seriously during bond planning, you didn't take it seriously during your attempts at redesign, and your final meetings before the summer break pointed toward you not taking it seriously in regards to racial equity and social justice, which is very alarming. You must engage the community in a serious way. Please consider getting help. There are people who do this for a living. The board and community need a working, reciprocal relationship.
4) Larger structural inequities that I mentioned above like food insecurity, access to child care, disproportionate impacts based on race and economic inequality can't be solved by a school district acting alone. Frankly, it's frightening how often Governor Scott and Secretary French have positioned schools as the premier line of defense against these societal ills that the state hasn't sufficiently addressed. Don't let them pin that on you and us. Don't let them say that our schools are overstaffed and under filled, and then act like the same schools they'd like to trim are our only hope out of this pandemic. Make them do better. Make them be better.
Peter Langella is a Moretown resident.
