MONTPELIER – It was yet another sobering week at the State House. Below are several facts I learned this week. Each reflects a separate area of concern, yet together they illustrate the challenging times we face.
Twenty-five percent of students in our schools are chronically absent. “Chronically absent” means missing at least two days of school per month. That is one out of every four children.
Thirty-five percent of our dairy farms have closed since the beginning of this decade.
Of Vermont’s 74 high-hazard dams, ten are in poor condition. A high-hazard dam is one where loss of life is expected if the structure fails.
Interpreter services for the deaf-blind population are recommended for elimination in the governor’s proposed budget.
The list goes on.
To me, it speaks of the fragile social and economic moment we are living through.
Government cannot be all things to all people. But surely it must provide a safety net for the most vulnerable among us and foster the conditions necessary for a viable economy so families can thrive.
When I reflect on the number of students who do not attend school consistently, I cannot help but wonder about the circumstances they face. It does not mean their parents do not love them or are not trying.
Rather, it suggests stress: economic stress, family stress, perhaps lingering effects from Covid-19.
When I was growing up, you went to school, no questions asked. Something has changed, and we would do well to understand why.
Our dairy industry has been in decline for some time. While we produce more milk than we did 50 years ago, we do so with only a fraction of the farms that once dotted our landscape.
Vermont’s working landscape is central to the beauty and identity of our state. We must find a way to protect that heritage while also making thoughtful, and sometimes difficult, development decisions to meet our housing needs.
Much of our infrastructure is aging. Schools, roads, bridges, utilities and dams all show the wear of deferred maintenance and insufficient long-term planning. These challenges did not arise overnight, and they will not be solved overnight.
Finally, the proposal to eliminate interpreter services for the deaf-blind community raises a fundamental question about our values.
A budget is not just a financial document; it is a moral document. What we choose to fund reflects who we are.
Some may say these updates are too dark or gloomy.
Serving on the Appropriations Committee means confronting the sobering realities head-on.
An old friend of mine, the late Stub Earle, used to tell me: “Tell it like it is, whether folks want to hear it or not.”
I believe that is still good advice.
David Yacavone represents Lamoille-Washington in the Vermont Legislature, including Elmore, Morristown, Woodbury, Worcester and Stowe.
