Don’t blame immigrant students for rising education costs

This commentary is by Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, a teacher at Winooski High School. She is the 2025 Vermont Teacher of the Year and the 2026 Vermont History Teacher of the Year. In the WCAX debate on Oct. 28, Gov. Phil Scott incorrectly claimed that the Winooski School District offers 17 languages, unlike smaller, more rural districts that may offer only one or two. This is false. Winooski offers one language, French. Elementary school students have no language opportunities, middle school students take French for one quarter, and high school students are offered French I or French II. When Scott claims that Winooski offers 17 languages, it is not just a curriculum mistake. It is a remark that serves to pit our rural, largely white communities against our more urban, more diverse communities. This misinformation fuels anti-immigrant, xenophobic thinking that hurts our students, our families and our communities. Collectively, our student body does speak at least 17 languages.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.