Fran Bisselle, the head of the Maple Street School in Manchester, Vermont has been elected head of the Vermont Independent Schools Association (VISA). VISA represents Vermont’s community of 127 independent elementary and secondary schools. Independent schools educate eleven percent of all students attending kindergarten through grade 12 in Vermont. Bisselle has been head at Manchester’s Maple Street School since 2006. The school enrolls 105 students in grades kindergarten through eight. Previously she was a doctoral teaching fellow at the University of Vermont. She is a trustee of the National Association of Independent Schools and is a member of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges commission on independent schools. Bisselle holds a BA degree from Boston College, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Vermont. VISA’s principal role is to support independent schools, many of which are quite small, in their relationships with the legislative and administrative branches of state government. These schools range in size from 960 to 7 students. In addition to general education programs provided within varying educational missions, independent schools provide highly specialized services to disabled students, high-level athletic training and support for competitive winter sports athletes and religiously oriented education to families desiring an education with a faith-based component. All students attending independent schools in Vermont do so on a voluntary parent-directed school choice basis.