Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders says a private therapeutic school in Brattleboro that has been on probation since September should lose access to state funding.
Saunders鈥� recommendation that the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. School for Autism in Brattleboro lose its approval status follows a scathing report issued by state investigators this winter. That report found that the school鈥檚 leaders appeared unaware of their basic obligation to provide students with an education and over-charged the public school districts that placed their students there.
In March, the school was given two sets of deadlines 鈥� in April and October 鈥� to show that it was coming into compliance with state rules. Saunders that while the school did submit documents, they often did not allay concerns.
A curriculum presented to state officials by I.N.S.P.I.R.E. for example, wasn鈥檛 adapted to autistic students 鈥� the very population the school exists to serve. And progress reports for students sent to the state only included information about behavioral data, not content-area instruction.
The school also notified the state that it had accidentally failed to file its tax returns on time for 2024. When the state followed up to ask for an audit letter, the school instead provided a letter from the treasurer on its board of trustees 鈥� not one from an independent accounting firm.
Lisa Kuenzler, who was installed as I.N.S.P.I.R.E. 's director in April, said she would be fighting to keep the school eligible for public dollars.
Kuenzler said she agreed with some of the state鈥檚 initial concerns, but argued the agency wasn鈥檛 working in good faith to get the school back on track now that new leaders were installed. The state鈥檚 鈥渓ack of cooperation,鈥� she said, was 鈥渇rankly unacceptable.鈥�
鈥淭hey're looking to shut down independent schools any chance they can. Is the problem you don't like what I submitted? Well, tell me what you want. You know, they're just not working with us,鈥� she added.
Therapeutic schools like I.N.S.P.I.R.E. serve a small but high-need population of students. Public schools are required by federal law to educate all students, but when students have disabilities they can鈥檛 accommodate, school districts will often pay tuition to specialized private schools like I.N.S.P.I.R.E. The school鈥檚 maximum capacity is 23 students, and it operates a year-round program. As of last month, only four of the school鈥檚 students came from Vermont, according to the Agency of Education.
The State Board of Education has the final say about whether the school should remain eligible to take publicly funded students from Vermont. The Council of Independent Schools, an advisory panel to the board, in May to endorse Saunders鈥� recommendation. But because the council did not properly warn that meeting, it is reconvening Wednesday to consider the matter again. The State Board鈥檚 next regularly scheduled meeting is July 16, although it could hold a special meeting beforehand.
The school first came under state scrutiny last spring, when former educators went to the state 鈥� and the press 鈥� with allegations that the school鈥檚 leaders had fired them for raising concerns internally about I.N.S.P.I.R.E.鈥檚 practices. After a few months of preliminary inquiries, the state opened a formal investigation in September, and sent an in-person team onsite in November.
If the State Board ultimately votes for revocation, it may be the first time the body has ever done so. The Agency of Education does not have any records of the board previously revoking a school鈥檚 approval, Toren Ballard, a spokesperson for the agency, told 开云体育.
鈥淭he Secretary is committed to ensuring that every school in Vermont operates with standards of quality, safety, and rigor, so that all students, especially those with the highest needs, have equitable access to an excellent education,鈥� he wrote in an email.
