Ensuring that Bennington County's children receive a quality education is more important than ever in today's fast-paced world. In addition to being able to read, write, and do arithmetic, today's students need to be technically competent. Upon graduation, they need to master a spectrum of knowledge and skills broad enough to give them the edge of adaptability in an ever-changing market. In short, they need to learn the skills that will make them lifelong learners. A report on the state of education generated by the Vermont Department of Education declares, "[e]ducation is and should be the number one priority in Vermont's public policy. It is the foremost issue on the minds of Vermonters." An education that provides students with the skills and knowledge needed in today's market requires the concentrated efforts of a vast number of dedicated professionals from early education initiatives through post-secondary education.
Teachers are on the front lines. Teachers must inspire young people to want to learn about the world in which they live and prepare them to become contributing members of society. In early education and primary and secondary schools, teachers rely on the assistance of aides and educational assistants to achieve these goals. These teacher aides help organize and present classroom material. School librarians manage learning resources and instruct students in research related matters. Substitute teachers are instrumental in continuing the education process during times when teachers are unable to attend class. Guidance counselors and school psychologists assist students in evaluating their abilities and in developing academic and career goals. Technology instructors are increasingly relied upon to keep students abreast of the latest marketplace tools. Special educators, speech and language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists are called upon to instruct children with learning and physical disabilities. Administrators provide direction for schools and coordinate the educational activities between schools within supervisory unions. The efforts of various support personnel ensure that schools run smoothly from day to day.
A similar range of professional and support staff enables post-secondary institutions to carry out their educational missions. In addition to faculty, post-secondary institutions rely on a strong structure of administrators to facilitate not only the academic progress of students, but in the case of residential institutions, many other aspects of students' lives as well.
With such diverse employment needs, it is no wonder that jobs in the education sector loom large in the economy. They account for an above average 9.32 % of the total workforce in Bennington County. Education is the third largest employment sector in the county, preceded by manufacturing and health services. Bennington County supervisory unions include the Southwest Vermont, Battenkill Valley, Bennington-Rutland, Windsor Southwest, Windham Southwest, and Orleans Southwest Supervisory Unions as well as several independent/private schools. (See a list of independent schools in the appendix.) The array of educational institutions within the county include both public and private early childhood, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools as well as the Career Development Center. Together, these schools currently employ more than 1700 people.

Current Workforce

Those working in Bennington County's K through 12 educational institutions may be described as an aging workforce. An aging education force entails many positive consequences. Experienced professionals, well versed in their subject matter, and dedicated to making their students lifelong learners, are teaching Bennington County children. According to Paul Tracy, Superintendent of the Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union, "their strength lies in their commitment to the community and the school, . . . they are a cohesive group." However, such longevity also has its downside. Many current teachers attended the same schools at which they now teach. Paul Tracy explains that although this "serves the community well and it serves those that work in the school well, [he is] not sure that it serves the student body well."
There is a need for diversity in today's faculty. As David Beriau, Vice-Principal of Mount Anthony Union High School, suggests, "a mix of experienced teachers with young, vivacious, new teachers with fresh ideas" would be ideal. Students need exposure and instruction in utilizing modern technology efficiently if they are expected to succeed in the future. Hiring youthful teachers may provide new viewpoints, flexibility, and state-of-the-art ideas and teaching approaches. A sentiment expressed in nearly all of the interviews conducted was that the current education workforce could stand to improve its scope of technological knowledge.
The average salary for teachers in Bennington County is comparable to the national mean, but slightly lower than the Vermont average. It is important to note, however, that the seniority of the staff contributes to the high average. Starting salaries in the county's public schools range from $22,000-25,500 with a bachelor's degree and $25,000-29,000 with a master's degree. The pay scale tops out at approximately $48,000 for those with a master's degree and longevity. In the local private schools, however, the wages are significantly lower than that of the public schools ranging from $17,500 to $30,000. These salaries are well below those in the bordering states of Massachusetts and New York, both of which draw many educators from Vermont positions.
The great majority of those holding education related jobs in Bennington County are Vermont residents. The rest commute from the tri-state area. With the increased usage of the Internet, schools are expecting to recruit qualified candidates from the entire Northeast.
Currently, shortages exist throughout the county in the area of substitute teaching. Nearly all interviewees indicated that there never seem to be enough substitute teachers available. The incentives for substitute teachers are minimal as they only get paid $55 per day, receive no benefits, and the work is not consistent. Helene Mellon, Assistant Superintendent of the Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union, explains that "with the economy doing better, there are fewer substitute teachers available" because those qualified to substitute find better jobs.
Bennington County is also experiencing a rapid turnover in school administrators. For example, David Beriau is in his second year as Vice-Principal at Mount Anthony Union High School and Paul Tracy has only held the position of Superintendent for the Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union for 18 months. This turnover is reflective of both state and national trends. The average tenure for superintendents nation wide is 2.4 years while the Vermont average is almost 4 years. The positions for special education coordinators are extremely difficult to fill.
Although there are several independent schools in Bennington County (see appendix), the number of workers that they employ has remained relatively stable over the past decade. The public sector workforce, however has seen a 33% increase since 1990.
Post-secondary institutions appear to face fewer challenges in finding and retaining qualified staff. With the large number of other post-secondary institutions in the tri-state area, Community College of Vermont and Southern Vermont College report little difficulty in finding good quality faculty and instructors for their programs. The spouses of faculty at other institutions who often themselves possess the advanced degrees required for post-secondary teaching are a reliable source of teachers. Jeannie Jenkins, Coordinator of Academic Services at Community College of Vermont reports, though, that the availability of instructors for computer, math, and science courses is clearly less than the pool of instructors for social sciences and humanities.
At the post-secondary level, the challenges come in recruiting support staff including secretaries and administrative assistants, and security personnel. Here the skills found lacking in applicants include good oral and written communication skills, workplace readiness (arriving at work on time, completing assignments in a timely fashion), and conducting oneself in a professional manner. Sometimes, applicants themselves are hard to come by. Susan Lamontagne, Executive Assistant and Personnel Coordinator at Southern Vermont College, reports that after several months of expensive advertising, the College has yet to receive one applicant for a position as a switchboard operator.
Unlike our primary and secondary schools, staff for post-secondary institutions, particularly the professional staff, is recruited from Massachusetts and New York State as frequently, and for some institutions more frequently, than from Bennington County. Bennington College and Southern Vermont College also conduct national searches for professional staff.
Outright shortages of staff seem most acute for early education providers. Head teachers in early education often have salaries in the $8 to $10/hr range, much less than their counterparts employed in the public school system. Recruitment of assistant teachers and substitute teachers is even more difficult. While some well-known providers, such as Head Start, are generally satisfied with the quality of the applications they receive, other providers expressed concern that the community at large does not perceive early education as a "profession". Consequently, they often receive applications from individuals without early education training who are surprised to learn that their own parenting or baby-sitting experience is inadequate preparation for teaching in an early childhood setting.
The skills sought after by early education providers include training in child development, and a sense of developmentally appropriate activities/practices, as well as flexibility and experience dealing with groups of children.
There are also some seasonal workforce needs among early education providers, some of whom offer special summer programming.
While early education providers spoke of a core of committed long-term staff, they also experienced regular turnover. Most often, people who left their employ did so to take jobs in other employment sectors -- they left the education field altogether.

Future Workforce

Primary and secondary schools, in view of their aging workforce, soon will have to contend with the task of replacing personnel as they retire. Helene Mellon explained during an interview that, in terms of retirement eligibility, she anticipates a shortage of teachers and administrators in the next five years. Paul Tracy predicts that in the next five to ten years, he will lose at least 50 percent of his staff. According to David Beriau, "there is going to be a mass exodus of faculty. The complexion of the faculty will change greatly in ten years." Moreover, he predicted that in the next 10-15 years, about 75 percent of the faculty that has been at Mount Anthony H.S. for twenty years or so is going to retire. These testimonies coincide with both state and national trends. "Within five years more than 1,100 of Vermont's 10,000 K-12 public school teachers will be eligible to retire with full benefits." A report released by Education Statistics Quarterly explains that "[a]s a wave of younger teachers hired in the mid 1970's has aged, a demographic shift in the age of teachers has occurred."
The retirement trend afflicting Bennington County's public schools does not seem to apply to schools in the private sector. For example, David Estes, Principal at Sacred Heart School, indicated that, on average, he is faced with the task of filling one to two positions each year and that he does not foresee this trend changing much in the near future. Grace Christian School, another private institution that has been in operation for only four years, has no teachers nearing retirement yet.
There is a state and local crisis in hiring special education administrators, teachers, and speech and language pathologists. In addition, small districts have difficulty in obtaining the services of highly sought after occupational and physical therapists.
Although student enrollment has remained relatively consistent over the past five years, the number of people employed by schools in Bennington County has increased overall. This fact, combined with the projected shortages based on anticipated retirements in the next 5-10 years, means that there will be a considerable demand for workers in Bennington's education sector. Administrators have voiced concerns about filling these future vacancies. According to our interviewees, teachers for math, science, foreign languages, business, computer, and special education will be particularly hard to hire. Some recent college graduates in fields such as computer science can make twice the salary in business as they could in education.
David Beriau explains the difficulty he has experienced in filling vacancies already: "We can't keep new teachers. . . new hirees work here for a few years to gain experience and then move on to greener pastures." Those "greener pastures" are the neighboring states of New York and Massachusetts, both of which pay higher teaching salaries, on average, than Vermont. Bennington County competes with these higher-paying states for the same limited pool of qualified educators. Furthermore, like Vermont, these states are projecting major job openings in the education field. In an article for the Bennington Banner, John M. Krol reports that neighboring Adams-Cheshire School District in Massachusetts is going to be one of the areas with the greatest demand for teachers. All these recruitment pressures will be compounded if, as some area business leaders believe, student enrollment in Bennington County schools grows faster than currently projected.
Evidence suggests, however, that salaries do not present the most important factor considered when applying to schools for employment. According to Public Agenda, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, " a substantial chunk of young professionals could be encouraged by increased pay to seriously consider teaching." However, the report also states that "most would sacrifice higher pay if it meant they could work in schools with well behaved students, motivated colleagues, and supportive administrators." People who decide to spend their lives educating youngsters do not generally list wages as their greatest incentive; instead, they speak of a "sense of calling." "Pay and opportunities for advancement are not nearly as important" to young teachers as "a sense that they are contributing to society and helping others." However, one teacher out of five leaves the field during his or her first few years. Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and unappreciated are common reasons cited by young teachers when they leave the profession. Clearly, there is a great need for a more effective support system designed to help young educators adjust to the realities of the teaching profession. Principal Nancy Mark adds that morale and leadership have a great impact on retention of teachers as does school and community support of education.
While the quality of life associated with living and working in Vermont communities is a great incentive for job applicants, there appears to be some concern about the relationship between the schools and the communities in Bennington County. David Beriau points out that "it is the kids, it is not the community" that attracts people to work here and makes them stay. "The community is not supportive of education. It's a source of frustration to us that they think that we are accountable for everything, yet we don't deserve to be recognized for our efforts . . .We need to make this a community that really prizes education." Overcoming this antagonistic atmosphere between teachers and parents, as well as the community at large, is of importance as it would provide a greater incentive for educators to keep working in the local school system. Private schools are generally not faced with the problem of teachers feeling unappreciated due to the degree of parental involvement at institutions that require tuition payments. David Estes suggests that it is the expectation for success among students, the community environment within the school, supportive parents, and a good benefit package that incites teachers to stay at the Sacred Heart School. Furthermore, he believes that flexibility and positive leadership are central to a good working environment for educators. "Teachers need to feel valued and appreciated."
On the issue of making the education sector more attractive to young professionals, Dan Coleman, Education Teacher at Bennington College, states that the first step would be to "make schools places that you would want to work in, not necessarily because you get paid more for working there." He believes that it is important for teachers to "have a voice in the school to shape what it will become, how it will embody and live up to its mission." Coleman suggests that teachers should have the opportunity to continuously improve their work in collaboration with other teachers and administrators.
The changing character of our post-secondary institutions will shape their future workforce needs. Enrollment at the Community College of Vermont (C.C.V.), for example, has increased an average of 17% per year over the past few years. C.C.V. is expanding its technology curriculum as well as instituting a new certificate program in early childhood education. This growth will occasion a need for additional instructors in the coming years.
The labor force needs of early education providers are changing as well. Head Start, for example, will be expanding its full day offerings in the coming years to meet families' needs for full-time child care. Arlington Area Childcare will be expanding its capacity to serve more families. As with post-secondary education providers, as the educational needs of the community change, the capacity and scope of educational offering of early education providers change as well. Overall, our area appears to be in the midst of an expansion of education sector employment, particularly among providers outside the K to 12 system. All-day public kindergarten will create further challenges to the recruitment of quality early education staff.

Recommendations

1. Boost educator morale by deepening overall community support for education, educators, and schools

• Encourage parental involvement and a greater level of teacher-parent communication;
  
• Expand community service and work experience opportunities for students
  
• Create forums for teachers, administrators, and parents to voice concerns and collaborate on finding solutions
  
• Regularly celebrate area successes and heroes in education at all levels
  
• Creatively "market" education in the county
  
• Present information to school boards on the realities of teaching conditions, and on retention factors, such   as a meaningful voice in school policies and practices, good workspace, school climate, money for   materials, competitive wages and benefits
  
• Explore with education providers means for making benefits/salary packages more competitive

2. Strengthen retention of high quality educators through

• Innovative, collaborative, ongoing, school-based approaches to professional development
  
• Create hybrid positions for experienced teachers, e.g. teacher-administrator, teacher-mentor, teacher - counselor, or externships in areas of expertise or interest
  
• Create effective support systems for younger teachers, including, e.g. mentoring by more experienced educators in classroom management, support for continuing education, meaningful local opportunities for professional development that provide training in the skills teachers need (e.g. writing and reading Individual Education Plans, mastering computer skills and information technology applications)

3. Facilitate an aggressive, creative countywide effort to recruit high quality educators at all levels

• Create an effective system to recruit, train, and place substitute teachers at all levels (examples: central registry/placement system, "full-time" substitutes, use of local college students, better exploitation of substitutes' specific skills and knowledge, clear training packets and materials)
  
• Vigorously promote local certification programs for assistant teachers and early childhood educators, and   work to create teacher "entry ramp" collaborations between training providers and local employers.
  
• Create and institute job-shadowing opportunities for college and high school students interested in teaching   (at all levels) and in educational administration
  
• Institute training and support services to better utilize specialists (e.g. IT Sector workers and established early education and K-12 teachers) to teach in areas of expanding need
  
• Actively include the education profession in career development and exploration activities for students at all   levels
  
• See also item 2 above

4. Target specific difficult-to-fill educator occupations:

• Increase collaboration among school districts to recruit and retain professionals in special education, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy
  
• Explore increasing local access to training in these specialties, e.g.., through distance learning, so as to increase the locally available pool of specialists
  
• Strengthen early education entry level skills development

APPENDIX: LIST OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS SERVING BENNINGTON COUNTY STUDENTS

• Burr and Burton Academy
  
• The Mountain School
  
• Long Trail School
  
• Maple Street School
  
• Pine Cobble School
  
• Vermont Academy
  
• Stratton Mountain School
  
• Grace Christian Academy
  
• Hiland Hall
  
• Sacred Heart School
  
• Southshire Community School
  
• Northshire Christian School
  
• Bennington College Early Childhood Center

Acknowledgments:

Members of the Education Sector Workforce Needs Analysis Subcommittee:

• Lynn Simek-Morgan, Chair
  
• Jean Bacon
  
• Kathleen Buck
  
• Helene Mellon
  
• Jack Glade
  
• Sue Hosley
  
• Jeannie Jenkins
  
• Dale Kolenberg
  
• Greg Rosenthal
  
• Alison Ryan

Nicole Rothe and John Pellington, students at Bennington College, assisted with the preparation of statistical data, interviews, and composition of this report.

The following individuals gave generously of their time to be interviewed for the report:

• Judith Adams, Coordinator of Early Education at the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union
  
• Carol Barbieri, Director, Arlington Area Childcare
  
• David Beriau, Vice-Principal at Mount Anthony Union High School
  
• Wayne Bond, Principal at Grace Christian School
  
• Dan Coleman, Education Teacher at Bennington College
  
• Elizabeth Coleman, President of Bennington College
  
• David Estes, Principal at Sacred Heart School
  
• Heather Faley, Human Resources Director, Bennington College
  
• Jeannie Jenkins, Coordinator of Academic Services, Community College of Vermont
  
• Susan Lamontagne, Executive Assistant/Personnel Coordinator, Southern Vermont College
  
• Nancy Mark, Principal at Mettawee Community School
  
• Helene Mellon, Assistant Superintendent at Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union
  
• Barbara Rainey, Education and Disabilities Manager, Head Start
  
• Ken Rocke, Director of the Career Development Center
  
• Marie Shutts, Human Resources at Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union
  
• Lynn Simek-Morgan, Director of Special Education at the Battenkill Valley
  Supervisory Union
  
• Paul Tracy, Superintendent at the Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union