Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
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 […]
Auditor tells Chester board the town tax is ‘artificially low’ 'You're lean and mean, but you've got no money'
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC You’re lean and mean but you’ve got no money,” said auditor Ron Smith at the June 17 Chester Select Board meeting. “But we’re not in the hole,” replied Town Manager Julie Hance. Smith agreed, but reiterated that the town does not have enough money sufficient for cash flow […]
Proctorsville’s Bob Glidden retires after 33 years as fire chief Glidden has served as a firefighter for 56 years
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The year was 1970. Richard Nixon was in the second year of his first term, gasoline averaged 36¢ per gallon, the minimum wage was $1.60 and Bob Glidden was starting his career as a volunteer firefighter in Proctorsville. He was 12. Next week, he will retire from […]
Policy governance wheels still spinning at GM board Act 170 merger talks begin by Oct. 15
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Study groups mandated by Act 170 will shortly be ramping up to produce proposed school merger agreements by the law’s September 2027 deadline. Those will be voted on at Town Meetings in March 2028. Meanwhile, the Green Mountain Unified School District Board spent a fair amount […]
Chester boards meet to kick off Town Plan revisions Planners want public input early and often
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With work on a new Town Plan just getting under way, last week the Chester Select Board hosted a meeting of several of its appointed boards to share their thoughts on the plan and the process to rewrite the current version. In Vermont, any town that has […]
Green Mountain graduates 47 as thunderstorms avoid Chester Photo gallery of an evening to remember
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The possibility of rain passed by mid-afternoon Friday and the sun was shining through high clouds as 44 members of the Class of 2026 marched out to Pomp and Circumstance and took their seats set up on the lawn of the high school. A little over an […]
Chester Economic Development Commission agenda for June 24
The Chester Economic Development Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 24 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the Commission’s agenda 1. Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting (May 27, 2026) 2. Citizen Comments 3. Discuss / Approve updates to business directory 4. Discuss / […]
News Analysis: Transforming Vermont’s education system, again As House bill 955 enters the final stretch, here's what's coming at us
UPDATE: H955 was signed into law by Gov. Scott on June 18. It is now called Act 170. By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC As this article is being written, H. 955 is still just a bill. Before it can begin “transforming Vermont’s education system,” it must be checked and double checked for typos […]
GM outlines $3 million PCB remediation this summer
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was June 2023 when the Green Mountain Unified School District board heard that its high school was contaminated with Polychlorinated Biphenyls or PCBs. “Unfortunately, this will dominate our conversation for the foreseeable future, ” Facilities Director Todd Parah said at that time. Fast forward to a […]
GM school bus runs into ditch, jostling students on route to Cavendish
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Green Mountain School District bus driver, heading north from Chester, pulled over to settle down some rambunctious students just after 3 this Friday afternoon but ended up in the ditch on Route 103 in the Proctorsville Gulf, jostling the passengers as he came to a stop. […]
GMUSD board wrestles with bullying and governance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday’s Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting took up the second half of the behemoth agenda that the board started the week before. Before beginning the meeting, board chair Lisa Sanders of Cavendish asked that only one person speak at a time, with no side […]
Andover Select Board agenda for June 8
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday June 8 at the Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of May 11th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
Chester ‘All boards/committees’ meeting agenda for June 9
The Chester Select Board will hold an “All Boards” meeting as the town begins to work on the next iteration of its town plan. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. and remotely via Zoom. Aside from the Select Board, the meeting […]