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Campaign Phone
8024884445
Candidate For Office
State Senate
I was a high school teacher for 30 years, as well as a library media director overseeing a team of several employees and running a large library and makerspace. More recently I was elected four times to the Burlington School Board. I have also served two terms in the Vermont Senate, as Vice Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee and the Vice Chair of the Education Committee. I also serve on Finance. I have co-chaired two important ad hoc committees: State Aid for School Construction Task Force and School Redistricting Committee. I have been appointed to Judicial Retention, Building Bright Futures, the Green Mountain Care Board Nominating Committee and the Citizens Advisory Committee on Lake Champlain's Future.
Our public schools are excellent, but they have not had it easy. Some public schools have to compete with private schools that don't follow the same laws. In these "choice" districts, public schools often see their resources flowing elsewhere. Our public schools have also had to bare the burden of providing services that used to be the purview of other government entities or nonprofits, such as mental health services and universal school meals. We do need to enact some strategic mergers across the state to respond to declining enrollment, but we also need to create economies of scale with CESAs - Cooperative Education Service Agencies to save money and improve quality.
We need to continue to update Act 250, in particular to encourage growth in town centers and municipalities. Growth should center on locations that provide services and amenities to community members - public transportation, grocery stores and healthcare facilities should be within reach of new construction. We should build up whenever possible - no more one level shopping malls. At the same time we need to start to speak out against NIMBYism (not in my backyard). It does no good to update zoning laws only to have neighbors use the legal system to thwart affordable housing developments. Being open to thoughtful development can provide desperately needed housing to young families, working Vermonters and the unhoused.
I’m a lifelong broadcaster so I have good communication skills. I’ve owned several businesses and I am a vertical thinker and pattern recognizer.
I would turn interpreters into English teachers. I would let students who do not speak the language use AirPods, which offers simultaneous translation.
I would remove obstacles such as long-term periods.
Candidate has not yet responded.
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