Employees Purchase The New School of Montpelier From Founder as a Worker Cooperative

For Immediate Release
Contact: Don Jamison, VEOC
Tel: 8023387448
Email: info @veoc.org

Employees Purchase The New School of Montpelier
From Founder as a Worker Cooperative

Montpelier, Vermont July 30, 2015 — The employees of The New School of Montpelier (NSM)
in Vermont have purchased the school from its founder and will be operating it as the state’s
largest worker cooperative. Founded in 2005 by Susan Kimmerly, the NSM serves students
ages 6 – 22 with intensive disabilities; primarily children and young adults with autism, cognitive
disabilities, and challenging behaviors, often related to trauma. The NSM provides a safe and
encouraging environment for students to form relationships, develop trust, gain life skills and the
social competencies necessary to become successful learners and contributing members of their communities.

The purchase of the business was finalized on March 30, 2015 , and financing for the deal was
secured through a collaboration between the Cooperative Fund of New England, the Vermont
Employee Ownership Center’s Vermont Employee Ownership Loan Fund, and the Vermont
Economic Development Authority. Upon completion of the deal, the new employeeowners
celebrated with a gathering at the Montpelier Elks Club, for which Hunger Mountain Coop
donated refreshments in honor of the sixth cooperative principle, “Cooperation Between Cooperatives.”

Reflecting on the conversion process, new employee owner Mary Creeden notes that it, “seems
to have helped us build a new sense of community. Even when the Steering Committee was
getting discouraged, the future employee owners encouraged us to keep going.” According to another employee owner,
Eric Weeber, the change “has stabilized the school’s future and staff retention has improved. It has also markedly broadened the staff’s perspectives
about the school community.”

This year the NSM is refining its therapeutic model by increasing the application of principles
found within the ARC Framework. Additionally, NSM is introducing the principles and practices
of Mindfulness school wide first to staff and then to students. Finally, an emphasis for the older
students is shifting significantly toward supported employment and other goals from a student’s Transition Plan.

For more information about The New School of Montpelier , visit nsmvt.org , or contact Susan
Kimmerly, interim Director skimmerly@nsmvt.org.

The Vermont Employee Ownership Center is a statewide nonprofit with the mission to
promote and foster employee ownership in order to broaden capital ownership, deepen
employee participation, retain jobs, increase living standards for working families, and stabilize
communities. To learn more, visit veoc.org , or contact Don Jamison via don@veoc.org

The Cooperative Fund of New England is a community development loan fund that facilitates
socially responsible investing in cooperatives, community oriented nonprofits, and worker owned
businesses. Since its founding in 1975, the Fund has made over 600 loans,
totaling over $26 million, which have resulted in the creation or retention of over 7,600 jobs and
4,400 housing units across the region. To learn more, visit coopfund.coop , or contact them via email via info@coopfund.coop

The Vermont Economic Development Authority is Vermont’s statewide economic
development finance lender. Created by the General Assembly in 1974, VEDA’s mission is “to
contribute to the creation and retention of quality jobs in Vermont by providing loans and other
financial support to eligible and qualified Vermont industrial, commercial and agricultural
enterprises.” Since 1974, VEDA has provided over $2.07 billion in financing assistance to
thousands of eligible Vermont entrepreneurs, manufacturers, small businesses, and agricultural
enterprises, helping them to realize their business growth goals, create jobs, and enhance the
vitality of Vermont’s economy. Working in partnership with Vermont banks to help meet the
financing needs of Vermont businesses, VEDA’s low interest programs help Vermont’s
economy grow and prosper.