HARDWICK − We won’t always agree with every decision our school boards make, but we should all agree on this: they must exist. Without them, we lose local democracy, community involvement, and taxpayer oversight. Whether you’re from Hardwick, Greensboro, Woodbury, Stannard, Wolcott or Craftsbury, one thing is clear: our communities[Read More…]
Another Opinion
Hard Choices, New Opportunities
MORRISVILLE − Anyone who reads the news or pays even limited attention to what’s happening in Montpelier knows that Vermont’s education and healthcare systems are nearing a breaking point. Declining birth rates, shrinking student populations and double-digit increases in both property taxes and health insurance premiums are making it difficult,[Read More…]
HED Charged with Providing Affordable, Safe, Reliable Energy
HARDWICK – Hardwick Electric Department (HED) has a long and colorful history of strong civic engagement and local governance. Incorporated in 1897, HED was created to preserve energy democracy for a thriving local economy and rural communities. HED is charged with providing affordable, safe and reliable energy to all of[Read More…]
Protect Rural Vermont: Support Rural Schools, Their Communities
PEACHAM – While it’s summer and classrooms are quiet, school board work across Vermont is anything but. With the passage of H.454 and major education transformation on the horizon, school boards from Arlington to Canaan are deep in discussion, preparing for what comes next. Decisions made now will shape the[Read More…]
Is Vermont Dairy Getting all it Could from Grazing?
HARDWICK – As long as there has been dairy farming in Vermont, harvesting and storing hay in the summer has been how farmers prepared for winter. Traditionally, it was the farmer’s job to make hay for the winter and the cow’s job to feed herself during the growing season, and[Read More…]
We’re About to Find Out, Yet Again, How Terrible the Legislature’s Ethics Regime Truly Is
EAST MONTPELIER – Hey, look: Somebody filed an ethics complaint against two state senators! We wouldn’t know this, of course, except that the complainant announced the action in a press release. You’d never hear anything about it from official sources, because the Senate’s ethics process is a black hole from[Read More…]
Rural Places Need Federal Partnership: Philanthropy Can’t fill this Funding Gap
CONCORD, N.H. – The Northern Forest Center partners with rural communities to create places where people can thrive, and where the forested landscape provides rich opportunities for recreation, economic vitality and ecological stewardship. For more than 25 years we have worked with local, state and federal partners across all political parties to[Read More…]
This Father’s Day, Let’s Commit to Saving Rural Vermont
MONTPELIER – As Vermont dads of children attending Vermont schools and members of the Rural School Community Alliance, we’re used to showing up for our kids: on the sidelines, at bedtime, in the school pickup line, and around the dinner table. Today, we’re showing up in a different way: to[Read More…]
OSSU Stays Strong
HARDWICK – In his last newsletter of the school year, Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union (OSSU) Superintendent Dr. David Baker wrote, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are under strong attack right now. Earlier this spring, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to state officials stating that Title I funding, which[Read More…]
Health Care Failure, Crisis: What Can we do Now?
WOODBURY – Because of failed leadership and misguided waste of Vermonters’ money, our health care system is on the verge of collapse. This did not need to happen. Once again, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) is requesting unaffordable rate increases. This is largely because the high cost of care[Read More…]
Missing the Mark on Education Reform
FRANCE – If and when the governor and Legislature agree on something they call “transformational educational reform,” it’s unlikely to be what most people expected or wanted. Vermonters won’t see the property tax relief they were hoping for because changes to the funding system will be a few years off.[Read More…]
Still Not Signing: A Superintendent’s Response
The federal government gave us ten days to sign away our values. Here’s our answer. April 8, 2025 To Whom It May (Unfortunately) Concern at the U.S. Department of Education: Thank you for your April 3 memorandum, which I read several times — not because it was legally persuasive, but[Read More…]
