Gov. Scott picks Florida schools administrator as new Vermont education secretary
March 23, 2024 | By Ethan Weinstein | VTDigger.org
Zoie Saunders starts work as Vermont’s new Education Secretary on April 15. Photo courtesy of the governor’s office
Gov. Phil Scott on Friday named a Florida schools administrator and former Charter Schools USA executive to be the next secretary of the Vermont Agency of Education, a year after the state’s last permanent education leader announced his resignation.
Zoie Saunders most recently served as chief strategy and innovation officer for Florida’s Broward County Public Schools, the sixth-largest school district in the country, according to the governor’s office.
“I’m energized and motivated by the governor’s bold vision to make the state of Vermont a national model, producing the best educational outcomes in the United States,” Saunders said at a Friday morning press conference. “I value community input and will work very hard to understand the local issues and educational priorities, so that I may support evidence-based educational strategies that support all Vermonters.”
The incoming education secretary will begin work April 15 and said she plans to engage in a “listening and learning tour” within her first 90 days.
“She’s a problem-solver, leader and innovator who has been laser-focused on improving outcomes for kids,” Scott said in introducing Saunders.
Scott’s pick for the top education job was met with a reserved but hopeful reaction among education leaders and legislators Friday, with most saying they wanted to learn more about the new secretary’s approach.
Saunders has made headlines recently as Broward County Public Schools — the district she has helped lead — considers closing some of its schools, a conundrum similarly facing Vermont’s education system. She’s worked for Broward County only since January, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“One of the things about Vermont, you’re one of the top spenders on education, right, and I think that that’s a good thing. It shows the investment that you all place on education,” Saunders told reporters. “In Florida, (it’s) one of the lowest per pupil reimbursement rates for students, so that does present different challenges.”
Saunders also fielded questions about her charter school experience, serving as vice president of strategy for Charter Schools USA, a for-profit education management company.
Vermont does not have charter schools, which are generally publicly funded but independently run.
“I do have a background in charter schools, but I also have an equivalent amount of time spent in advocating for improvements within the traditional public school system,” Saunders said. “So, I come with both perspectives, which I think is really valuable.”
With her husband and children on the right, Zoie Saunders joins Gov. Phil Scott for a press conference in the governor’s State House office announcing her appointment as Vermont Education Secretary on Friday, March 22. Screenshot from video feed
Pressed about whether she thought Vermont should add charter schools as an option, Saunders stopped short, saying she wasn’t ready to make a recommendation.
“I know that there’s a lot of different ideas on the table, but it’s really about figuring out what is the right fit,” Saunders said.
Before working in Broward County, Saunders spent about five years as the city of Fort Lauderdale’s chief education officer.
Vermont’s last education secretary, Dan French, announced his departure last March. Heather Bouchey was made interim secretary in his wake. She had also previously served as acting secretary prior to French’s appointment.
The slow process of finding a new leader for Vermont’s public schools drew broad criticism.
Scott waited more than three months to ask the State Board of Education to begin the secretary search. At one point, the state had spent less than $500 advertising the search, Seven Days reported, a sum far lower than many districts spend searching for a superintendent, according to the weekly.
Vermont’s public education system is dealing with seismic problems. The state faces declining pre K-12 enrollment, skyrocketing costs and a student mental health crisis, all factors contributing to a system-wide reckoning.
The new secretary is also stepping into uncharted waters. A historic proportion of school budgets failed on Town Meeting Day, as voters contemplated — and rejected — spending levels that in many places would have caused double-digit increases in education property taxes.
Nearly all other extended cabinet-level positions in Vermont are simply appointed by the governor. But by statute, the state Board of Education must propose “no fewer than three candidates” for the position to the governor, who then makes the final choice from among the board’s nominees.
Education leaders react
In a joint interview, the executive directors of the Vermont Principals’ Association, Vermont Superintendents Association, and Vermont School Board Association expressed their enthusiasm about working with the new secretary.
The state is looking for a “champion of public education,” Sue Ceglowski, the school board association’s leader, said, adding that Saunders would have a “profound effect” on the delivery of Vermont’s education system and the students and families it serves.
Jeff Francis, who heads up the superintendents’ association, said he would hold off on responding to the governor’s appointment until the incoming secretary meets with all the superintendents, “which presumably she’ll do.”
“We know that things are very dynamic in public education right now, including a desire on the part of superintendents to see stronger leadership (and) collaborative leadership exhibited on the part of the state,” he added.
The governor, in introducing Saunders, said that he hoped the Legislature would pass “really solid structural changes” to Vermont’s education funding formula as soon as this session.
To Francis, that timeline doesn’t leave much room between Saunders’ start date – April 15 – and the end of the legislative session.
Jay Nichols, executive director of the principals’ association, offered congratulations to Saunders, adding, “We look forward to working with her to address the many concerns related to our educational delivery system.”
Of particular concern, he said, is what he called “draining of education funds to support private and religious entities that do not all equally support all students.”
Some lawmakers had the chance to meet with Saunders on Friday.
Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, chair of the Senate Education Committee, was enthusiastic about Saunders following a brief afternoon meeting.
“She’s smart, she’s excited, she’s bringing some really good experience to Vermont,” Campion said. “She’s also faced issues of declining enrollment (and) working to improve student outcomes,” he noted, two situations relevant to her new job in Vermont.
“I think she’s very much going to be a hands-on secretary of education,” Campion predicted.
Saunders also met with Rep. Erin Brady, D-Williston, who serves as the vice chair of the House Education Committee.
“I have been extremely hopeful about this moment, and we have needed strong leadership and engagement from the governor for some time now on education,” Brady said. “We clearly need statewide leadership and vision, that’s been repeated ad nauseam in this committee.”
But Brady acknowledged that she had some concern about Saunders’ history with charter schools.
“I am very hopeful that this choice is not meant to be a signal that the privatization of public education is the path ahead,” she said.
In a written statement, Don Tinney, president of the teachers’ union Vermont-NEA, said Saunders’ work in charter schools “gives us pause,” but that he is excited to collaborate with her.
“Vermont public school students and educators need a strong advocate at the Agency of Education to ensure that programs, services, and resources remain in place to meet the needs of our children and youth,” Tinney said.
This story was originally posted on VTDigger.org on March 22.