[G]ov. Phil Scott appointed former Rep. Oliver Olsen to the State Board of Education last week, putting the outspoken independent on a body that he has clashed with during debates on education reform.
Olsen, who is from the Manchester area and represented Londonderry, is Scott’s third appointment to the public school board — and another white male. He replaces Bonnie Johnson-Aten, a lifelong public school educator and a woman of color.
Olsen has street cred when it comes to Act 46, which is just now entering its final phase, but he is steeped in private school politics and has an antagonistic history with the state board.
On Friday, the Scott administration announced Olsen’s appointment, touting his experience in education funding and school district consolidation.
“His knowledge and experience will be a very valuable addition to the State Board of Education as it completes its work on Act 46 and supports our efforts to improve equality and the quality of our public education system,” Scott said in a press release.
Starting in June, the state board will be reviewing a draft proposal of new school district boundaries as the final phase of Act 46. They will approve a final plan for school governance in November.
Olsen said this would be the “most challenging” phase of the process, but that he looked forward to it.
“I have been very active in the southern part of the state helping people understand what Act 46 was and wasn’t about, and helping communities prepare for what is a pretty seismic change,” he said.
Sen. Philip Baruth, D/P-Chittenden, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, called Scott’s choice “well informed” and said Olsen is very smart and passionate about education, particularly in integrating independent schools into the education system.
Rep. David Sharpe, D-Bristol, chair of the House Education Committee, had a different take on Scott’s pick.
“As much respect as I have for Oliver Olsen, that is not the kind of appointment I would make. I would appoint a public school person who wants quality public education,” Sharpe said, adding that Olsen is a “private school guy.”
Sharpe is also concerned with Olsen’s adversarial relationship with the board and the Agency of Education.
In an interview, Olsen pointed to his experience as a moderator for two school districts as proof of his familiarity with issues facing public schools. “I have experience from that perspective as well,” he said.
Board Chair Krista Huling said she welcomes Olsen’s help in the final phases of Act 46, adding that Olsen “isn’t afraid to have tough conversations.”
But she is worried over the whiteness of the 10-member board, as well as being one of just two women serving. The current student representative, Callahan Beck, is also female but will only be a voting member for one year.
“Separate from who was appointed, I’m concerned about the lack of diversity on the board,” she said.
The approach to the final phase of Act 46 drove Olsen’s six-year appointment, according to Rebecca Kelley, Scott’s spokesperson.
“Given the timing and needing to get Act 46 across the finish line, Olsen’s experience jumped out,” she said, adding that Scott is committed to considering diversity across all Vermont’s boards and commissions.
Both John O’Keefe — Scott’s appointment last year — and Olsen hail from the Manchester area. These two appointments plus Beck, the student rep from St. Johnsbury Academy, bring the number of board members with private school backgrounds to three.
Former state board member Sean-Marie Oller said it’s unusual to have two board members from the same supervisory union as state statute requires members be from different parts of the state, “to the extent possible.”
The purpose of the State Board of Education is to guide and oversee the public education system. But because Vermont uses public dollars to pay tuition to private schools for students in some towns, the board has to approve which schools meet the state’s standards.
Last year, lawmakers from both parties, including Olsen, pushed back hard on the state board’s attempt to update those rules, and they were ultimately put on hold.
Baruth, who led the process for compromise, said he believes appointing Olsen will bring balance to the state board. “I think the appointment has the effect of creating a little more balance around the public/private divide,” he said.
While in the House, Olsen introduced legislation to expand school choice to allow state dollars to flow to schools outside of Vermont and he fought as hard as anyone against the board’s attempt to promulgate the new rules.
Around the same time, Olsen called for an ethics probe of the now-Vice Chair Bill Mathis and made more than a dozen records requests related to the board’s review of the rules.
The former chair of the state board, Stephan Morse, a Republican who served during the drafting of the private school rules, found Olsen’s appointment odd.
“I was quite surprised given his history with the State Board of Education and the agency,” he said.
The Senate will likely vote on Olsen’s appointment in January, but he can begin serving before the vote, which is “pro forma,” according to Baruth.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Oliver Olsen represented Manchester. He represented Londonderry, and is from the Manchester area.