As far as I can see, Act 46 - which reforms education funding, spending, and governance - is not going to have any measurable impact on the quality of education we provide to our children or, by extension, their lives thereafter.
The act will result in some positives (most of which are negligible) and negatives (which are not quite as negligible and could be overcome, but won't be).
The driving force behind Act 46 is to hold down school taxes by reducing the per-pupil cost of education. This does not mean we will see lower education tax rates. An expectation of a lower tax rate will only prove disappointing and frustrating.
We will, however, be persuaded to agree that fewer buildings, higher pupil-to-teacher ratios, and lower administrative costs must add up to more efficient operations.
Now is the time. I have heard people say it is a challenge when you live in interesting times. My challenge is to listen to the daily unfolding of political news out of Washington, D.C. And, I am told that bipartisanship is the magic that will cure all. However,
The Brattleboro Retreat's “Tyler 3” unit offers Vermont's only inpatient mental-health beds for adolescents. In many ways, it's considered “our most challenging unit,” says Retreat President and CEO Louis Josephson. And efforts to find funding for physical upgrades have thus far been unsuccessful. Nevertheless, Retreat administrators say they're making...
Contractors to host guided walks across new I-91 bridge BRATTLEBORO - The design-build team of PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. and Figg Bridge Engineers, Inc. in conjunction with the town of Brattleboro, invites the public to participate in guided walks across the 1,036-foot, three-span segmental I-91 Brattleboro Bridge on the afternoon of Saturday, March 4. During the walk, the community will have a chance to take pictures and ask questions about the bridge design and construction. Visitors will be able to...
The conventional wisdom had held that there are few jobs that pay a living wage in the state of Vermont, and that has driven young people out of the state. The reality, according to a new job list compiled by the Vermont Department of Labor and the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation, is that there are thousands of high-paying, high-demand jobs that now or will soon exist in Vermont. There is one catch, however. These jobs require training and/or...
The Brattleboro Music Center's Chamber Music Series continues with a performance by the Ted Rosenthal Trio on Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m., at Centre Congregational Church on Main Street. The Trio includes Ted Rosenthal at the piano, Thomson Kneeland on bass, and Tim Horner on drums. The performance will feature jazz arrangements of themes from the classical canon (Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, and more) reimagined by Rosenthal and his trio. Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianists of...
On Saturday, March 4, from 6 p.m. onward, Compass School will host its annual Fiesta dinner, dance, and silent auction. An all-inclusive multicourse Caribbean-inspired meal will be served, followed by the Eugene Uman Latin Jazz ensemble performing dance music. Uman is a renowned pianist and composer who is director of the Vermont Jazz Center and his band “is sure to rip it up” with beautiful Latin jazz-inspired dance music, according to a news release. There will be a silent auction...
The residents of a small Vermont village will make a connection to young children with disabilities in another small town - this one in Africa - when they come together for a benefit dinner and concert Saturday, March 4, at Christ's Church. The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 7 p.m. Local speech-language pathologist Wanda Salter of Rockingham is organizing the event to support the establishment of the first Kenyan preschool for children with special needs,
College news • Paula Merkle of Vernon, an Anthropology major, was named to the Dean's List in Ithaca College”s School of Humanities and Sciences for the fall 2016 semester. Transitions • Mark McGee, MD, is the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Brattleboro Retreat. McGee joined the Retreat in 2012 after completing his residency in Psychiatry at the University of Vermont. Since that time he has served as a staff psychiatrist on the hospital's Adult Intensive Unit and was...
The In-Sight Photography Project will host a juried exhibition that is open to all photographic mediums and styles. The deadline for submissions is March 17 and the juror's selections will be announced on April 3. Those selected will have their work displayed in the Tiny Gallery and on the nonprofit's online gallery. All proceeds from the entry fees ($10 for a single image, plus $5 for each additional image) will benefit the organization, which offers photography classes to those between...
“Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here,” a free presentation of poetry and literature from the countries included in President Donald Trump's recent executive order barring entry to the U.S., read by those who have lived the immigrant/refugee experience, will take place during Gallery Walk on Friday, March 3, from 6 to 7 p.m., at Everyone's Books, 25 Elliot St. This event is a tribute to all who value free speech, personal freedom, and the power of poetry, literature, and art to reaffirm...
The legal load limit of Bridge 38 on River Road was recently reduced from 16,000 pounds to 8,000 pounds. This is the second change in less than five months. Last November, Vermont Agency of Transportation officials told the town they were lowering the weight limit after finding deteriorated I-beams during a routine inspection. Initial estimates for replacing the steel support trusses are between $125,000 and $200,000, according to AOT District 2 Project Manager Marc Pickering, but he said the town...
Vermont 4-H horse club members had a jam-packed day on Feb. 11, as they competed in the annual Windham and Windsor County 4-H horse hippology and quiz bowl contests. Sponsors were University of Vermont Extension and Windham and Windsor County 4-H. The event, held at Springfield High School, was open to all 4-H members in the state, attracting 52 contestants from five counties who competed by age with special divisions for Cloverbuds, ages 5 to 7, and first-time competitors. In...
We were sorry to learn that, for personal and family reasons, Dennis Mirante has decided not to stand for re-election to the Athens Selectboard. It is appropriate, therefore, that we take a moment to express our gratitude to him for his service on behalf of the citizens of Athens over the past three years, especially in his efforts to encourage transparency and accountability in our town government. In particular, we would like to thank him for his unstinting efforts to...
Since the election disaster in November, most of those I know have been overwhelmed by the level of destructive and frightening behavior of the Republicans in Washington. At our store, Everyone's Books, every day we welcome people from the local area and from far afield who are confused, angry, and activated with new energy to resist this onslaught. Every day, people thank us for giving them the freedom to express their fear and hope for a better country. We are...
Two things made Donald Trump's second attempt at the presidency successful. One: millions of eyeballs looking in the same direction is a mind-bogglingly profitable commodity these days. The other: A very well-orchestrated and -funded operation to suppress votes, polarize the country, smear the opposition, and focus on getting enough electoral votes locked in. Other than that, all Trump's backers needed was a lightning rod for public attention. And that, putting it politely, is Trump's single area of expertise. He was...
Li-Pon Owen, Daniel Sicken, and Tim Stevenson were arrested at TD Bank in Brattleboro on Feb. 22 to bring attention to the bank's inappropriate investments in Standing Rock Pipeline as well as the Alberta Tar Sands environmental nightmare. An important message from these three people - as well as the 50 people gathered in support - is that the state of Vermont, in having our daily nuts-and-bolts state funds managed by TD Bank, is actively invested in environmental disaster. This...
A bumper sticker says, “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” While the atmosphere of deceit appears to be universal at present, it might not be. It is, however, quite rampant and alarming. In an effort to contradict the current culture of deceit, we want to tell the truth about how proud we are of the town of Brattleboro, where citizens are circulating and signing a petition affirming this town as a non-violent and safe...
We at Vermont Alimony Reform brought the issue of antiquated spousal support and maintenance laws to the attention of the Legislature when we testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last spring. According to the most recent statistics, about 3.5 of every 1,000 Vermonters are divorced every year. Each year, that means almost 4,300 residents, families, and their small businesses - considered assets by current law - are paying the price for 1950s-era laws in dire need of reform. That means...
Are we at a turning point in Brattleboro in how we look at budgets and energy? Are we starting to look more deeply at the longer term and at life cycle costs and not just initial investment? Does that approach line up better with energy savings and thus more effectively also address climate change? I believe we have signs of such a turning point, as evidenced by a mixed bag of recent decisions by the Selectboard. Every year there is...
Several newcomers to town politics have entered the fray for the Selectboard election on Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 7 at the Guilford Center School gymnasium. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Incumbent Troy Revis, currently the board's vice chair, will not seek re-election for a two-year term. Vying for his seat are Nathanael Matthiesen and Richard Wizansky. Challenging incumbent Richard Clark for the three-year seat is Verandah Porche. Matthiesen, a 1999 graduate of Brattleboro Union High...
One of my greatest pleasures and also a source of frustration comes from my role as advisor to a local school environmental group. I get frustrated trying to decide which important steps we should take to make our school more Earth-friendly, and I feel pleasure is felt when I see their passion and commitment to address some of the environmental issues we face today. I want to share a comment made by one student when I told her about a...
Athens Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, March 4, at 10 a.m. at the elementary school. • New backhoe: Voters will be asked whether the town should purchase its own backhoe at $150,000, to be financed over several years. • Fixing things up: Voters will consider spending $10,000 to maintain and stabilize the Athens Meetinghouse, and $10,000 for a capital reserve fund to pay for improvements to the Town Office. • School funding: Voters will be asked whether to approve the...
Tim Stevenson, founding director of Post Oil Solutions, has led weekly Friday vigils in front of the TD Bank branch on Main Street for more than two years to call attention to the financial giant's investments in fracked gas, tar sands oil, and the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines. But since the election of Donald J. Trump, Stevenson said the vigils have taken on an extra urgency, since Trump supports the construction of both pipelines, is an advocate of...
About 75 people filled the steps in front of Brattleboro's Municipal Center on Feb. 23, rallying in support of the transgender members of the community - especially trans students. As the sun set on the warm late-afternoon, participants waved signs, held banners, and chanted, mostly in call-and-response: “When trans students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!" “We're here! We're trans! We're fabulous! Don't mess with us!" Teenagers, parents with children, and adults young and not-so-young...
I'm writing in support of Robin Morgan's write-in candidacy for the Brattleboro School Board's one-year position. Robin is not only incredibly competent, but she is dedicated to supporting our public school system. She cares deeply about our responsibility as a society to take care of our children and support their development into fully functioning members of our community. Robin is a mom with kids in the school system, and it is vitally important to have a healthy representation of active...
In his commentary, Richard Morton, a Republican Party leader, calls Donald Trump “a blue-collar billionaire.” Which makes me wonder: What exactly do we mean when we call someone “blue collar” today? My grandfather and most of my uncles were blue-collar workers. (So was I, for a while.) Years ago, the phrase referred to men and women (but mainly men) who built roads, drove trucks, and worked with their hands in factories, gas stations, restaurants, and machine shops. Many of these...
I find it appalling that the town of Vernon is proposing a 38-percent budget cut for the library. As a former librarian, I know how challenging it can be to keep a small-town library running smoothly. Volunteers are great, but you can't operate a public library with volunteer labor alone. I don't know where the idea came from that libraries don't matter and can just be eliminated when money gets tight, but it is a gross misconception. My father was...
I was impressed by the turnout and the energy of the recent Brattleboro Selectboard Candidates forum to which I was lucky enough to have been invited. The grassroots energy that has been ignited by recent turns in national politics is clearly being seen locally with an increase in protests, vocal support for historically underrepresented populations, and initiatives for ballot questions put before the voters. At the forum, that energy resulted in some questions that were difficult for me to answer,
In the months leading up to our Town Meeting, the Vernon Selectboard worked to finalize a budget that reflects the needs of local residents while taking into account their ability to pay for services. As a result, the board asked each town department to suggest at least 6 percent in cuts to next year's bottom line. During review, the board compared each department to towns of similar size in the state of Vermont. When it came to the Vernon Free...
Good day to you, I hope you can find one nice thing to smile about today. Sometimes it's that one thing that can turn the tide on a day. I wish that for you in this moment, but I digress! To the weather! We are on the meteorological seesaw for the foreseeable future into the middle of March. After that, I believe we're going to be firmly moving into Spring, which could end up warmer than average, but we shall...
While I have no doubts about Richard Morton's sincerity, I would like to ask him to look more closely at the Trump administration's aims, not one of which is conducive to promoting a better life for ordinary Americans. As a woman in her eighth decade, I particularly take issue with the administration's blindness to - or maybe acceptance of - the political implications and motives for denying women reproductive choice. Mr. Morton's touching empathy for unborn life, is, like the...
We write this letter as two of the members from Marlboro of the Act 46 Study Committee, which was charged to consider the possibility of a merger between the elementary schools of Marlboro, Dover, and Wardsboro. A letter was recently sent from this Study Committee to the residents of the three towns. Several Marlboro residents have approached us to say that they felt that the letter was recommending that they vote in favor of the merger and that having our...
Wardsboro without a school: That is the risk as Act 46 moves forward. With the upcoming vote on consolidation, we are on the verge of losing control of our school. If Wardsboro, Marlboro, and Dover vote yes, we in Wardsboro will have minority representation on the new district board. If only Wardsboro and Dover vote yes, we will still be at a disadvantage: Dover has twice the student population of Wardsboro and, after the 2020 census, that town will most...
This was not a typical candidates forum, the candidates at the forum were not typical candidates, and the questions presented to them were not typical queries about potholes and property taxes. Those were the takeaways from the Feb. 23 Selectboard Candidates Forum at the Brattleboro Municipal Center. Put together by Green Mountain Crossroads, Post Oil Solutions, Vermont Workers Center, 350.org Brattleboro, Rights & Democracy, Groundworks Collaborative, and Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, the two-hour forum was heavy on social-justice...
Much of my education around racial injustice in the United States took place once I moved out of Vermont to a more racially diverse community - but it actually began here. It began with a mother who gave me books that told many American stories, not just one - a mother who didn't shy away from tough conversations about our country. She described what she had witnessed as a young woman, when Birmingham police turned fire hoses on young protesters,
In a hodge-podge of books and objects left behind in the 1911 home in Marlboro where she moved with her family four years ago, Julia Zanes found a remarkable old book, Gondola Days by F. Hopkinson Smith. “Published in 1897, Gondola Days is an account of Smith's travels to Venice,” says Zanes. “It turns out that F. Hopkinson Smith was quite an accomplished man. He built the foundation of the Statue of Liberty and was also a writer, artist, and...
The March exhibit at the Crowell Gallery at the Moore Free Library, 23 West St., is “The Natural Order of Things,” a photographic exhibit by Alexis Doshas of Wardsboro. In her artist statement, Doshas said she “selected images that explore my belief that humans are a part of nature and are inseparable from it. It is where we come from and where we return. “What has emerged in my images is the intimacy of life and land. I look beyond...
On Friday, March 10, at 7 p.m., Wendy's Jazz Soiree will present the Bob Stabach 4tet with special guest Rich Greenblatt, master vibraphonist and faculty member at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Local jazz fans may remember hearing Greenblatt with the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band about a year ago. The 4tet - which includes Eugene Uman, piano; Jon Fisher, drums; George Kaye, bass; and Bob Stabach, sax - is excited about this special evening playing with the...
Tiokasin Ghosthorse, a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota will bring his long history of indigenous activism and advocacy to a return performance on Saturday. This is Ghosthorse's second time performing at the church and the enthusiastic welcome he received last time encouraged him to return, according to a news release. Ghosthorse speaks frequently and internationally on the cosmology, diversity, and perspectives on the “relational/egalitarian vs. rational/hierarchal thinking processes of Western society,” according to a news...
The Brattleboro Colonels completed the regular season last week with two big wins to finish 14-6 and pick up the No. 6 seed in the state Division I boys' basketball tournament. As a result, they will host No. 11 Spaulding (8-12) in a first-round game on March 1 at 7 p.m. On Feb. 21, they took advantage of a slow start by Mount Anthony and hung on for a 67-60 win over the Patriots in Bennington. MAU was scoreless in...
When Army veteran Denise Rohan tried to join her local American Legion post, she said she initially got a chilly reception. “Back then, female veterans were told to join the Auxiliary,” she said. “It took a little education to get them to accept women in the post.” Rohan, 60, who lives in Verona, Wisconsin, recently visited Brattleboro Post 5 as part of her ongoing campaign to be the new national commander of the American Legion. She would be the first...
Since 2007, the New England Center for Circus Arts has trained regional circus students and performers. But co-founders Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion haven't stopped there; they also offer free and discounted programming for at-risk youth, children with autism, adults with physical disabilities, and cancer survivors. “At NECCA we embrace the physical and the emotional benefits of doing circus,” Smith Forchion explained. “[The] physical literacy alongside personal expression that comes hand in hand with circus arts invites more than...