Dear Editor, My initial response to the proposed Woodstock MS/HS bond and build was, “$99 million is a lot of money and what is Plan B?” I am a teacher at Mountain Views Supervisory Union. I strongly believe in public education. As an educator, I decided to learn more about this hot topic in our…

Dear Editor, We are community members who work locally to provide medical care for the entire range of our population from newborn babies to seniors in their 90s and 100s. We feel privileged to work in and for the greater Woodstock community. We’d like to share our perspective on the proposed new middle and high…

Dear Editor, I join my friends and neighbors to vote “Yes” on Article 7, the new school bond. I was initially skeptical but changed my mind for several reasons. The new school is a bargain. It will cost less than maintaining the old one, which is already inadequate and beyond repair, and it will cost…

Dear Editor, In recent discussions surrounding the upcoming bond vote for our local school district [Mountain Views Supervisory Union], a significant amount of information has been shared. However, some of it may not fully capture the situation’s complexity. This letter aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the key issues at hand, focusing on…

Dear Editor, Vermont’s school financing system is incredibly complex, and that means it can be difficult to make a decision that you feel good about. No one wants to spend money if it’s not essential. The question is, how do we know what’s essential and what’s not? It’s not an easy thing to answer. The…

Dear Editor, In regards to building a new middle school/high school, many are asking how we can all work together to meet the needs of our students now and in the future, as well as take into consideration the concerns of taxpayers who may already be at their financial limits. Here are several ideas on…

Dear Editor, My name is Elizabeth Wellington and I live in South Pomfret. My husband grew up in the Upper Valley and we moved here to raise a family in this community. I’m voting YES for our new Woodstock middle/high school. As a relative newcomer to our area, it’s been a joy to discover each…

Dear Editor, I started paying personal property tax in 2007, about $300 that year. Now, in 2024 my personal property tax is almost $2,200. So out of curiosity, I went to the town office and made a few copies of the list of businesses who pay personal property tax in this town. Out of over…

Dear Editor, On March 5, 2024, Election Day in Killington, Scott Baughman will be a write-in candidate to fill a vacancy on the Sherburne Riverside Cemetery Commission. Scott has the full support of Truman Bate and Paul Holmes, the current members of the cemetery commission. We ask that the citizens of Killington support Scott with…

Dear future Vermont, I’m sorry. I apologize for where you are now, it was our fault — things got strange around 2022 to 2024 and went sideways on us. Maybe if more of us had been vocal things could have turned out differently. As you consider where you are now and how to move forward…

Dear Editor, I recently attended an open meeting at the Public Safety Building where the proposed new Woodstock Middle/High School was the main topic. Ben Ford began the meeting with an overview of the location on site and the cost. After the initial presentation, questions and concerns became the most talked about items. Concerns were…

Dear Editor, I am the current chair of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) School Board. I am also a Woodstock resident, a parent of three children who graduated from our schools, a grandparent of a PreK student at WES, and an educator who taught for 39 years in the school district. At the vote…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: The following was originally written as an open letter to lawmakers. Senate bill S.211 is an attempt by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems to free hospitals from appropriate and thoughtful budgetary regulation by the Green Mountain Care Board. The bill, if enacted, will be an enormous benefit to…

Dear Editor, Last week I introduced myself as a candidate for Select Board and outlined some of the ways in which the current board is not serving the community as well as it deserves to be served. The treatment of former search and rescue volunteers and their current blacklist from the department, which I detailed…

Submitted   By John W. Casella Editor’s note: John W. Casella is the chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. The Vermont State Senate recently supported Governor Scott’s 2023 veto of H.158, an act relating to expanding the beverage container redemption system. The governor’s veto letter to the legislators expressed concerns on how H.…