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.…

Dear Editor, I am Andrew Gieda and I am running for Select Board. Most people know me as a builder, I’ve built homes and condos. I know how to repair almost anything. I’ve been fixing things for a long time. That is why I am asking you to vote for me. We have lots of…

Dear Editor, The Mountain Views Supervisory Union has recently been holding meetings with local communities asking for voter support to build a new middle and high school building on the site of the current complex in Woodstock. Having attended the recent meeting in Killington, I would first like to compliment the MVSU for their nerve in…

By Marc B. Schauber Editor’s note: Marc B. Schauber, of Dover, is the executive director for the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity. Act 127 of 2022, the law that corrected 25 years of injustice in our education funding system, is a good law. It allows all children in Vermont to receive an excellent education regardless of…

Dear Editor, On March 5, Killington voters will face a crucial decision: whether to approve a $99 million bond for a new school building that will replace the aging and deteriorating middle school/high school. This is not a decision to take lightly, as it will have significant implications for the town’s future, both in terms…

Submitted   By Julia Purdy, North Clarendon No doubt about it, Governor Scott has his finger on the pulse of everyday Vermonters. He is one of us. Governor Scott’s budget address to the Vermont Legislature Jan. 25 continued where his State of the State speech left off, continuing the theme of “affordability, public safety, and at…