All Entries in the "Op-ed" Category
Op-ed: As new unified school district gets under way, board needs to listen closely to parents, families and teachers
Editor’s note: Chester resident Sue Willis wrote this open letter to the new Green Mountain Unified School District Board. By Sue Willis ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC After sitting through the meeting of the Green Mountain Unified School District Board last Tuesday evening, I was compelled to write a letter to all members regarding some of […]
Commentary: Chester is emerging with new energy
By Cynthia Prairie ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Several years ago, at a Chester Town Meeting, a resident told those gathered that she believed that the town was stagnating. Then, others noted there were empty shops on the Green, houses were not selling and those that did sell were getting prices far lower than their assessed […]
Op-ed: Large cost to innkeepers, state of unregulated Airbnbs
By Kathy Pellett The proliferation of Airbnbs and web-based rentals are affecting the livelihood of owners of licensed, regulated inns, hotels and B&Bs. There are serious implications, not just for the hospitality industry, but for the state economy as a whole. Operating an Airbnb is not just a matter of someone renting a room in […]
Commentary: Get your family, neighbors prepared for disaster
By Erica Borneman Like most of you, we at Vermont Emergency Management have been watching events unfold in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. As we watch, most of us are no doubt reminded of our own historic disaster: Tropical Storm Irene. We’ve seen many stories from Houston about individuals and families who were rescued from their […]
Op-ed: Up-ending the carbon status quo
By James Gustave Speth With the Trump administration doing everything it can to eliminate progress made in combating climate change, it is particularly important for forward-thinking states like Vermont to take action. Because of the urgency of the issue, it is quite disappointing to see this year’s legislative session draw to a close without any […]
Op-ed: President’s baseless claims undermine trust in voting
By Jim Condos Vermont Secretary of State On Friday, President Trump announced the establishment of a commission by executive order to investigate the presence of voter fraud in elections. Despite continued assertions by President Trump that widespread voter fraud, in the millions, occurred during the 2016 election, there has been no evidence that any widespread […]
Commentary: NEA funds help the arts reach rural communities
By Charma Bonanno ©2017-Telegraph Publishing LLC Congressman Peter Welch is due a lot of credit. While his peers in other states are also holding town hall meetings, Rep. Welch has gone the extra mile of pulling together small groups in a variety of fields to discuss how Vermonters would be affected by the sweeping cuts […]
Commentary: Vermont’s ethics crisis
By Bill Schubart The Vermont legislature is at an impasse trying to decide whether to establish and adequately fund a statewide ethics commission that has real enforcement capability. There’s been considerable favorable testimony by Vermonters, ethicists and Secretary of State Jim Condos, who has been a relentless champion of government transparency, inclusion and establishing such […]
Commentary: Middlebury mob, education and free speech
This commentary originally aired on VT Public Radio By Bill Schubart Many young people are, by nature’s design, rash and impulsive and in loco parentis educators must often deal with the fallout from their students’ lack of experience. Real-life consequences and good mentoring, mature them over time or they become infantilized adults. The recent protest that turned […]
Op-ed: Vermont governments must let the sunshine in
By Jim Condos Vermont Secretary of State An open government makes for a better government. This is Sunshine Week and it is being celebrated all across the nation. In reality, it should be celebrated every week – not just this week – in Vermont and every other state. Here at the Secretary of State’s Office, […]
Op-ed: The well-vetted immigrants
By Aleks Hunter Last summer, I was a guest of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H., as a cardiac patient. I was initially examined by a doctor from China, then treated by a team led by a doctor from Germany, with one one from Pakistan, one from Turkey and a resident from India. My […]
Op-ed: Vermont needs an independent Ethics Commission now
By Jim Condos Vermont Secretary of State The Vermont Constitution (Chapter 1, Article 6) demands that our elected officials are open, transparent and accountable. The authors understood how transparency in government is the very basis of trust. State statute also demands access and accountability: It is the policy of this subchapter to provide for free […]
Op-ed: In its latest test, the Electoral College failed
By Dick McCormack I have received many communications from folks indignant that the presidential candidate who got the most votes was not elected president by the Electoral College. These folks recognize that a constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College is unlikely, and so focus their concerns on defending Vermont’s existing National Popular Vote law. I’m […]
Op-eds: Closing arguments
Wind power not green vs. financial benefits to communities
Wind power not green vs. financial benefits to communities
From the editor: In just about a week, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, we will go to the polls to vote on a contentious and at times disturbing presidential race whose partisans have helped split the country. At the same time, voters in the towns of Windham and Grafton will vote on a proposed industrial wind […]
Op-ed: On rigged elections and voter fraud in Vermont
By Jim Condos Vermont Secretary of State Recent unsupported allegations and sensationalized reporting are sowing seeds of doubt about our democratic process. This undermines voter confidence and calls into question whether all voices will be heard on Nov. 8. As Vermont’s Secretary of State and chief elections officer, former state Senator, former city councilor and […]
Proficiency Based Education: The coming evolution in education
Michael Eppolito, Curriculum Coordinator for Two Rivers Supervisory Union, has written a three-part series for The Chester Telegraph on Proficiency Based Education, an educational concept that will be implemented in Vermont schools by 2020. Parents, teachers and even students will want to understand how this concept will affect their children’s future and their own. PART […]
An explainer: Proficiency Based Education fuels growth of transferable skills
Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 of TRSU Curriculum Coordinator Michael Eppolito’s series explaining a seismic shift in public education, classroom work and grading that will be implemented throughout Vermont schools for those graduating in June 2020. You can read Part 1, explaining Proficiency Based Education, here. Part 2, on whether Proficiency Based Education will […]
Op-ed: MTL holds right to manage its property with Stiles Brook wind project
By Jeremy Turner Managing forester Meadowsend Timberlands There has been a lot of debate around the future of a property that is owned by the company I have worked for over the past 20 years, Meadowsend Timberlands. MTL owns the 5,000-acre tract of land, a small portion of which the Stiles Brook Wind Project would […]
An explainer: Proficiency education could aid in college admission
Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of TRSU Curriculum Coordinator Michael Eppolito’s series explaining a seismic shift in public education, classroom work and grading that will be implemented throughout Vermont schools for those graduating in June 2020. You can read Part 1, explaining Proficiency Based Education here. By Michael Eppolito ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC One […]
An explainer: Proficiency Based Education is on the way
Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks in The Chester Telegraph, TRSU Curriculum Coordinator Michael Eppolito will be explaining a seismic shift in public education, classroom work and grading that will be implemented throughout Vermont schools for those graduating in June 2020. We begin with Part 1. By Michael Eppolito States across the nation, and […]
