Ed Reform Rap

June 19, 2025  |  By Jim Lengel

They’ve done this before:

Rushed out of the door

A bill few have read,

With aspects unsaid.

Soon come to repeal

Their last-minute deal

When they see what it does 

To the Vermont that was

Once well-schooled.

But now these fools

With unqualified staff

Have made quite a gaffe

That will cause us much pain

With little to gain.

It’s what they do best:

Conflicts of interest

Hidden inside

An unfathomable tide

Of words convoluted

And rarely disputed.

While two Academies

Say, “Let’s increase our fees!"

Let’s grab from these fools

For our own private schools

More money to float us

Before they will notice.”

But really, don’t worry.

The bill’s such a flurry:

Task Forces and Boards;

Of Consultants there’s hoards;

Not much will happen 

Because there’s a gap in

The implementation

Of this abomination.

There’s time to replace

Those folks voted “Yes.”

When election time comes,

We’ll throw out the bums.

Jim Lengel from Duxbury started teaching in Vermont in 1972, worked for the State Board of Education for 15 years, served as deputy commissioner of education in the 1980s, and retired back in Vermont after helping schools all over the world improve the quality of teaching and learning. He shares his assessment of public education in Vermont online at vermontdesign.org.