By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog Representatives and concerned citizens gathered at the State House on Thursday, March 17, to study the continued impact of Act 46 on school choice in Vermont. The legislation was pitched last year largely on the […]
Tag: Vermont Watchdog
Lawmakers discuss cost, number of special ed teachers in Vermont
By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog Lawmakers seeking to control education costs in Vermont are discussing how many special education teachers is too many. The House Education Committee on Feb. 11 invited Michael Giangreco, professor of education at the University of […]
Lawmakers discuss requiring gun owners to register with insurance companies
By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog A bill introduced recently at the State House would require gun owners to report their weapons to homeowner’s insurance companies. The bill, H.709, is currently in the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, and […]
Labor laws for contractors under examination in Vermont
By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development met with labor leaders on Thursday, Feb. 4, to gauge how new bills regarding contractor work can best suit employers and employees. “The big issue is trying […]
Lawmakers mixed on Gov. Shumlin’s spending priorities
By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog Lawmakers who heard Gov. Peter Shumlin outline his spending priorities in Thursday’s budget address on Jan. 20 had mixed reactions on how money should be spent. To fix Vermont’s $68 million budget deficit, Gov. Peter Shumlin […]
House Education Committee unanimously votes to raise spending caps
Submitted Vermont’s per-pupil expenditure continues to rise despite a decrease in student population, due to no corresponding cuts in teachers and staff. By Art McGrath and Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog If Tuesday night’s committee vote is any indication, then it […]
Lawmakers return to capitol hill, education spending cap at top concern
By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog As state lawmakers return for the start of the 2016 legislative session, a fight is already raging over the spending caps in Vermont’s new education reform law — and property taxpayers have a big stake […]
Education spending cap could land districts in the tax “penalty-box”
By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog A limit on education spending is set to force Vermont school districts to reduce staff, but only if lawmakers don’t rush to stop it from happening. As part of Act 46, Vermont’s statewide district consolidation […]
Poll: Vters oppose putting more ethanol in gas
By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog A poll of registered voters in Vermont, conducted by the Center for Regulatory Solutions, has found that most Vermonters oppose adding higher amounts of ethanol into gasoline. According to a survey of 600 registered voters […]
Vermont state economist: labor market weak across many data points
Aging demographic trends help explain By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog The U.S. Department of Labor on Friday, Nov. 6, released an upbeat monthly jobs report showing the economy added 271,000 jobs in October. The number was well above the 185,000 […]