Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
VSP seeks owners of apparently stolen property
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC During 2016 and 2017, Vermont State Police investigated a number of thefts and burglaries in Windham County and southern Windsor County. As these cases were concluded, there were items that police recovered that they believe had been stolen. However, the owners remain unknown. These include assorted small and large tools, […]
MacLaomainn’s in Chester not closing or sold Name confusion may be behind rumor
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Neeps and Tatties fans do not despair. Rumors of the closing of MacLaomainn’s Scottish Pub in Chester are false. According to owners Deb and Alan Brown, they recently received a phone call from their trash hauler asking when they wanted to have their dumpster picked up. The […]
CANCELED: Chester Select Board agenda for Feb. 5, 2020
The Feb. 5 Chester Select Board meeting has been canceled. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 5 at the Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St. in Chester. Below is the agenda. 1. Approve Minutes from the […]
Who’s on the March 3 ballot for town offices in Andover, Cavendish, Chester & Grafton?
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Monday, Jan. 27 was the deadline for candidate petitions to be turned in at Town Clerks’ offices all over Vermont. Here are the candidates for offices in our area who will be voted on by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 3. Those running for offices in Weston and Londonderry will […]
GM school board: Good budget despite hikes Directors vow to start early, keep working on budget process
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a little over a month, voters in Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester will be asked to approve a school budget of $14,108,968, which represents an increase of more than 9 percent. During that time, the members of the Green Mountain Unified School District board representing those […]
Two Rivers school districts, admin budgets OK’d In flurry of meetings, boards send proposals for March vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last week, in a flurry of meetings, the boards of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union and its two school districts adopted difficult budgets with large increases and some important details still unresolved. Now their task is to convince the voters of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish, Chester, Ludlow and […]
TRSU postpones budget while districts continue work on theirs
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the surprise resignation of Superintendent Meg Powden took center stage at Monday’s meeting of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, the work of finalizing the SU’s budget went on. At its meeting of Jan. 2, the board had rejected a 9.54 percent increase and asked the administration […]
Chester board nears final budget version
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board took its next-to-last look at its 2020 budget with the goal of limiting an increase in the tax rate. At the time of the meeting it appeared that that the budget was $241,565 greater than last year — equivalent to 6 […]
Chester Planning Commission agenda for Jan. 20, 2020
The Chester Planning commission will hold a regular meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday Jan. 20, 2020 at the Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., Chester. Below is its agenda. 1. Review minutes from the Jan. 6, 2019 meeting 2. Citizens Comments 3. Go over map changes with Gabe Ladd 4. Discuss […]
Powden resigns as TRSU superintendent effective June 30
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Meg Powden, superintendent of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, resigned her position on Monday, Jan. 13 effective June 30 — the end of the 2019/2020 school year. She will have served four years, overseeing the operations of two school districts — Green Mountain Unified and Ludlow-Mt. Holly […]
GM board restores priorities, bets on programs to attract more students At least two board members will not run for re-election
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Presented with a 2020-21 budget that stripped out all of the educational priorities it adopted in mid-2019, the finance committee of the Green Mountain Unified School District on Monday pushed back to restore programs, teacher positions and supplies while taking a gamble that offering more would make […]
TRSU board mulls budget increases, LMH may lose transportation
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC While school officials asserted that an overall budget increase of 9.54 percent at the Two Rivers Supervisory Union level was necessary and that new special education programs are saving money, board members asked for details to show their school boards and the communities they represent. The board […]
TRSU proposes cutting GM educational priorities
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three weeks after the Finance Committee of the Green Mountain Unified School District asked the Two Rivers Supervisory Union to come back with a budget that would include several of its education priorities while trying to keep the per pupil cost as low as possible, members received […]
Chester board, Springfield officials talk Transfer Station fees
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Following a question about the cost of the Springfield Transfer Station at its Dec. 4 meeting, the Chester Select Board heard from Springfield officials last Wednesday, Dec. 18. At that early December meeting, Lister and Chester resident Wanda Purdy had questioned the number of Chester residents buying […]
2 approaches: Green Mountain, Ludlow-Mt. Holly school boards tackle spending LMH over the 'excess spending' threshold
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The two districts that make up the Two Rivers Supervisory Union are wrestling with controlling the spending in their FY 2021 budgets this year as one looks to increase its educational offerings and accommodate more students, while the other tries to manage the Act 46 downsizing that […]
GM school board, Cavendish library trustees seek solution over safety concerns
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC There was plenty to talk about – apart from the budget/governance related rumpus – at the Dec. 12 meeting of the Green Mountain Unified School District board, including a tour and discussion of the Cavendish Library and its relationship with the adjoining elementary school. Before the 6 […]
What’s your experience? Telegraph seeks perspective of special ed. families, teachers
© 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Are you the parent of a current or former special education student within the Two Rivers Supervisory Union? Would you share your perspective on the education your child received or is receiving? Are you a teacher or a former special ed student who would like to share your unique point […]
Opinion: Put education legislation in timeout
By Shawn Cunningham ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Thursday, Agency of Education Secretary Dan French announced a new statewide initiative to improve reading and math skills. According to a press release, the agency will “partnering with MetaMetrics to roll out (its) … Frameworks for reading and math cost-free to all Vermont school districts.” To put […]
Chester property owner ticketed for unpermitted building fire
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC A property owner on Nudist Camp Road in Chester burned to the ground a cabin he bought in October on Monday afternoon sending fire trucks from a host of neighboring towns to the scene. Just before 5 p.m., the Chester Fire Department was alerted to a “fully […]
Sunday afternoon Tannerite blast shakes area
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Area residents from Springfield to Andover heard and even felt an explosion Sunday afternoon that left many speculating what had happened, including that there might have been an earthquake. According to Vermont State Police Patrol Commander Bryson Lunderville, a homeowner in Cavendish had taken “a large quantity” […]
