We are writing to ask for your support and vote for Jeanne Albert in the upcoming Democratic Primary. A career long educator with a strong background in state and community service, Jeanne has prioritized attention to key issues facing Vermont today: Public Education, Climate Crisis and the Environment, Housing and Healthcare. We urge you to visit her website (jeanneforvermont.org) to learn more about Jeanne, her background and civic engagement and her stance on these and other issues.

We especially want to highlight Jeanne’s strong and unwavering advocacy for public education. This was abundantly clear to me, Jim Warnock, as a colleague working closely with her and others as part of the Save Community Schools 501(c)(3) organization that successfully moved Lincoln out of the MAUSD district to ensure our vibrant community school would not be closed. Lincoln is a public K-6 elementary school and the community was favorably disposed to school choice for grades 7-12. Contrary to the letter submitted by a former lawmaker in support of Herb Olson’s candidacy that appeared in last week’s issue (Former lawmaker endorses Olson for House seat), Lincoln did not “privatize the education of Lincoln children after 7th grade.” Lincoln did join some 80+ towns in Vermont that offer some form of school choice (elementary or secondary and in some towns, both).

In fact, Vermont pioneered school choice in this country dating back to 1869 which includes to this day recognizing private schools (St. Johnsbury Academy, Thetford Academy, Burr and Burton to name a few) as the designated high schools for numerous Vermont towns. In addition to her highly skilled analysis of school funding and associated legislation in our Save Community Schools efforts, Jeanne currently serves as the chair of the Lincoln School District Board, working tirelessly to provide the best possible outcomes for all of Lincoln’s students.

Sadly, it is rather offensive and misinformed for the aforementioned letter to then go on to state: “Even today, as she claims to be a public school supporter, she could lead Lincoln to send their children to public schools and stop the voucher system currently in use in Lincoln”. Lincoln students in fact are largely attending public schools. A simple review of this past school year, AY 23/24, shows that 89 students, grades 7-12, from Lincoln attended a public high school or an approved independent school. The breakdown:

• 78 (87.6%) attended Mt. Abraham middle/high school
• 4 (4.5%) attended other public secondary schools
• 7 (7.8%) attended approved independent schools

As you can see, 92% of Lincoln students in grades 7-12 attended public schools. Suffice it to say, we would all benefit from closer attention to the data and less inflammatory language in assessing candidates and their qualifications.

We have no doubt that Jeanne will prove to be an effective representative and a real asset in Montpelier as the state wrestles with a number of very significant and consequential issues. Make your vote count in the upcoming Democratic Primary!

Jim Warnock and Jim Dumont

Lincoln