Guest editorial: Legislature’s nonsensical education reform plans should be dropped

The impending 17 percent increase in property taxes has our elected leaders on the political edge, thinking they are about to be tarred by the taxpayers’ brush and that doing something, anything, would be better than doing nothing. They are wrong.

If the State of Vermont accepted the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for airborne polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], Burlington would not be on the hook for a $190 million rebuild of its high school and the administrations of most of Vermont’s o … (read more)

That’s not just astounding, it’s proof positive that the system is broken, that it needs changing.

Last week the regulators made a point of asking OneCare’s leadership if it could justify its $15 million budget request. It could not. Not satisfactorily.

Becca Balint, a Democratic candidate for Vermont’s U.S. House seat, acts as if the rules do not apply to her. That should raise questions about the integrity of Ms. Balint’s campaign.

Tucked into H.159, a bill focused on community and economic development, is a provision that would create a pilot program for “project-based” tax increment financing opportunities.

The Legislature has before it — at long last — a proposal to address the solvency of the state’s pension system. There is nothing in the proposal for anyone to like. It’s full of pain and regret and expense. It’s the embodiment of what happens when a prob … (read more)

Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, has introduced a bill to create a Community College Scholarship Program that would provide tuition-free scholarships for Vermont residents attending CCV. It would, from the outset, require a $6 million appropriation. It’s a sma … (read more)