Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Act 170 school merger groupings announced, meetings in weeks What is good faith?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday, Sept. 17, while discussing the Act 170 voluntary school merger process, TRSU Superintendent Layne Millington asked members of the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District what other group of school districts they would be interested in merging with outside of their Group 7 […]
GMUSD Board hears need for deep cuts to avoid penalties
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC After many months of wrangling over various aspects of policy governance — a method of assigning roles of the board and the administration — the Green Mountain Unified School District voted to consign it to the ash heap and move to another model. But that sense of […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Sept. 28
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Sept. 28 at Andover Town Hall, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 14th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
Chester Hardware bankruptcy sale in the works Business could have new owners by year's end
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC If all goes to plan, according to bankruptcy trustee Raymond Obuchowski, the Chester Hardware store that declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed in July could be under new ownership by early December. On Friday, Obuchowski and trustee Paul Levine filed notice of a motion asking the U.S. […]
Chester planners hear of alternative zoning for increasing housing
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Planning Commission is in the early days of updating the Town Plan with technical and writing assistance from the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission or MARC. But at Monday’s meeting, the most interesting moments came in a discussion of fast-tracking housing projects that could be applied […]
Chester board talks changes in finances, tax collection, budget voting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With auditor Ron Smith attending the Wednesday, Sept. 2 meeting, the Chester Select Board again considered some big changes in the way the town handles its finances and tax collection and how the budget is approved. The board looked at a “fund balance policy,” and the idea […]
Facilitators chosen for Act 170 school merger talks to begin in October
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Learning Collaborative announced on Friday the names of the seven Act 170 facilitators who will guide school districts in evaluating the possibility of voluntary school mergers between now and Sept. 1, 2027. Any proposed mergers will be voted on by the communities involved in the […]
GMUSD board hears disappointment in response to bullying
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Running to almost two full pages, the Green Mountain Unified School District board agenda for Thursday, Aug. 20 was another gargantuan lift for the evening. But Board Chair Lisa Sanders requested a number of changes that consolidated the agenda worked to move things along. Nevertheless, a big […]
Teen lifeguard recognized for lifesaving at Pinnacle swimming pool Select Board continues look at town services
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The average Select Board meeting is a series of requests to be heard, problems to work out and questions to answer. But once in a while there’s a lighter, more celebratory moment like the one in Chester last Wednesday. That’s when recreation Director Matt McCarthy presented 16-year-old […]
Millington is finalist for Washington Central superintendent’s job TRSU super looks to leave after two years on job, despite new contract
UPDATED WITH STATEMENT FROM LAYNE MILLINGTON By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Rivers school Superintendent Layne Millington is a finalist to take over the Washington Central Unified Union School District in the East Montpelier area as it seeks to replace former Superintendent Steve Dellinger-Pate, who resigned unexpectedly in June. If hired, Millington […]
Chester board hears wastewater treatment upgrade plan $7million project would increase capacity for building in village area
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC For as long as The Telegraph has been covering Chester town government, an upgrade to the town’s sewage treatment plant has been a problem on a distant horizon. Last Wednesday, Dufresne Group engineer Naomi Johnson told the Select Board — in its alter ego as the Water […]
Chase loses in state Dem Senate race as White, Major and Burrows head to the General Election Weyant takes Dem primary for Windsor Sheriff as Lake stumbles
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the August primaries in Vermont are often characterized by uncontested races and low turnout and summer vacations take their own toll, every few cycles something happens to pique voters’ interest and draw them to their polling places. Tuesday’s most contested races locally have been county-wide, with […]
Chester Green, Town Hall backdrop for eight GM students’ public artworks
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Next time you come to the Chester Town Hall or visit the Town Green, set aside a few minutes to take in the artworks produced by eight students in Marcia Dockum’s the Creative Arts Class at Green Mountain Union High School. On Tuesday, Steve Vertefeuille, who manages […]
State school merger lead facilitator finalists announced One educator and a consulting firm will have final interviews next week
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Learning Collaborative announced late Tuesday afternoon that it has selected two finalists for the job of lead facilitator for the school merger study group work mandated by Act 170. The law, which bills itself as “transforming Vermont’s education system,” calls for seven regional facilitators who […]
Chester considers July to June budgeting, tax year Current Jan-Dec fiscal year presents a series of problems
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its July 15 meeting, the Chester Select Board continued to look at the costs of the services the town provides, including recreation and planning/zoning/assessment. But it was the recommendations of the town’s auditors –including transitioning to a fiscal year from the current calendar year budget — […]
Chester Hardware files for bankruptcy
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the note on the front door said the business at 21 Main St. would be closed from July 3 through 13, on July 7, the owner of Chester Hardware & Mercantile was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Under Chapter 7, the assets of a debtor are […]
Explainer: Why is the homestead tax rate higher than the non-homestead rate this year?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Readers have asked why the education property tax rate for residents in the Green Mountain Unified School District is higher than the rate for non-residents and businesses. It’s usually the other way around. The answer lies in the Byzantine calculations the state uses to fund education spending. […]
Chester board continues to look at cost of town services, welcomes comments
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester’s Select Board will continue looking at the cost of the services the town provides to residents and property owners at its regular meeting on Wednesday July 15. Town Manager Julie Hance has often said that the town’s budgets reflect the cost of the services the town provides […]
GMUSD special meeting agenda for July 16 (3rd of 3) Discussion of Act 170 - School transformation legislation
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 at Cavendish Town Elementary, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions a. Approval […]
Chester board sets tax rates, begins look at town services Hears new request to give up Class 4 road
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board finalized the town’s property tax rates by adding the state mandated education tax to the municipal rates it approved on June 17. And it also began the process of looking at town services with an eye to finding savings that might […]