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Share your commentaries
Have an opinion on a current topic? Send it in to waterburyroundabout@gmail.com. Letters to the editor (up to 300 words) and Commentaries (up to 800 words) must be signed. Include your hometown and a phone number for confirmation.
My name is Rob Dabrowski and I'm a candidate on the Waterbury Town Meeting Day ballot for a full term on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board.
To the Community: My name is Sandy Sabin, and I am running as a write-in candidate for the one-year select board position in Waterbury.
What is happening now, in America under President Trump, is a disgrace and dishonor to the sacrifice of my father and all those of the “Greatest Generation” who gave their blood, toil, and sweat, and sometimes their lives, to defend the democratic values we used to hold dear against the threat of fascism and dictatorship.
The Harwood Unified Union School District School Board’s Finance Committee is looking into eliminating several sports programs for the 2027 budget year.
My name is Corey Hackett and I am running to fill the remaining two years for a Waterbury seat on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board.
As a member of the House Education Committee – and as a teacher, a mother, and a patient – I have listened with interest to Education Secretary Zoie Saunders. But what is missing is far more impactful to the bottom line: ever-increasing healthcare and hospital costs.
To the Community: My name is Tori Taravella. I am running for a one-year term on the Waterbury Select Board.
Providing clear, understandable data to support one's position might be called full transparency. In my opinion, our state education system, requirements, and formulas can stagger the mind and hide – perhaps even misrepresent – a lot of relevant information.
In November, voters sent a clear message to the legislature and the governor: “We can’t afford these property tax increases.” But voters did not ask for their local schools to be closed. They did not ask for the quality of Vermont’s education system to be compromised.
Washington-2 House District state Rep. Dara Torre, D-Moretown, writes in with an update from the State House, her committee work, and more.
I recently spent a week watching committee testimony and the governor’s budget address from my couch as I recovered from Influenza A (despite a vaccination).
Each legislative biennium begins with a range of issues that need to be addressed – this session is no different as we take on the work to address the pressing challenges in our state. One challenge has risen above all others: the state of our public education system.
Dear Governor Scott - as Vermonters and leaders of the Harwood Unified Union School District Board, we are writing with deep concern about your proposed education funding reform plan.
The 2025 legislative session has already entered its second month and committees are busy with a multitude of bills. Here are some highlights from the first few weeks and links to some key measures you may want to follow in the weeks ahead.
This week, H.141, the mid-fiscal year Budget Adjustment Act, passed through the Appropriations Committee and the full House of Representatives. The mid-year budget adjustment is an attempt at truing up the budget passed last June.
There are many ways you can help the Waterbury Rotary Club as we help the community, starting with the Super Bowl and including Pie for Breakfast and a student bottle drive.
Indivisible groups across Vermont and the nation are taking actions to impress upon our senators and representatives that we are in crisis as a country.
In the chaos of President Trump’s first three weeks in office, I sued on behalf of Vermont to block unconstitutional or illegal actions.
This isn't just a rant. This is a call to action: Please reach out to your elected officials. Write them emails. Call them. Weigh in. Democracy dies in a vacuum. Don't be that vacuum.
There are plenty of people in the community representing how responsible the proposed school budget is. But I have heard from numerous people with a differing perspective. I would like to offer some data and comparisons related to fairness.
As we close the month of January in the House of Representatives, orientation, education and new bills to consider are happening at a quickening pace.
As Vermont’s Treasurer, I am committed to making investments that lower costs, strengthen our economy, and support healthier communities. I believe every Vermonter deserves a fair shot at success, regardless of the situation they are born into.
Vermont can both grow housing and protect our natural resources. The key to success will be not succumbing to the “zero-sum” mentality that too often pits progress in one area against another.
Gov. Phil Scott said again today he would reform education by doing more with less. We're hearing understandable concerns about his plan. While we don't know all the details yet, we've heard this promise before—and don’t have a lot to show for it.
I attended the Jan. 22 Harwood School Board meeting. It allows a total of 15 min. for public comment before the board begins discussion of business. I wanted to share my comments in full with the community at large.
We write to ask you to consider supporting the school district budget on or before Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 4.
The Clean Heat Standard, envisioned as a part of Act 18 of 2023, had the overall aim of reducing the use of fossil fuels used for heating in Vermont. Act 18 did not implement the Clean Heat Standard but instead required the Public Utility Commission to study the idea and issue a detailed report.
One thing nearly all Vermonters seem to agree on is that we want living in our state to be more affordable. When it comes to energy, continued dependence on high-cost and price-volatile fossil fuels like gasoline, fuel oil, and propane is not a path to affordability.
If you are someone who knew Hunter, loves/loved skateboarding, or know of someone who has died by suicide, please consider making a donation in Hunter’s memory.
Like many districts across our small but mighty state, we face significant challenges in sustainably funding our schools. However, the recent proposal put forth by the Governor and his Secretary of Education raises serious concerns.