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…

By Sarah Copeland Hanzas Editor’s note: Sarah Copeland Hanzas is Vermont’s 39th Secretary of State. She was a teacher, coach, small business owner and an 18-year member of the Vermont House before being elected as Secretary of State in 2022. As Vermont’s Secretary of State and Chief Elections Officer, it’s my job to help sustain and defend…

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…

By Brooke Olsen-Farrell Editor’s note: Brooke Olsen-Farrell is the superintendent of the Slate Valley School District. I am proud to serve in a state that believes it is every child’s right to receive an excellent education, regardless of their background or zip code. So, it’s been unsettling to see some using Act 127, an act meant…

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…

By Nicholas Boke This commentary isby Nicholas Boke of Chester, a freelance writer and international education consultant. It was published earlier this month in VTDigger. I left Vermont in 2004 mainly because I wanted to work overseas. But I also felt the need to get away from the Vermont bubble. It was such a safe…

By Peter G de Krassel Editor’s note: Peter G de Krassel is the founder of Breaking Housing Matters, and author of the newly released book “Custom Maid Housing for New World Disorder.” Vermont’s housing has priced itself beyond the reach of most buyers and renters — and is making people more house insecure after July’s…

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…

By Helen Head Editor’s note: Helen Head, South Burlington, is a board member of the Champlain Housing Trust. She also served as a state representative (2003-2018), where she chaired the Vermont House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs.   Vermont families are facing a housing crisis. Sky-high rents, high interest rates and home prices…

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.…