Letters to the Editor (4/30/25)

Reuse and Repair

Thank you for the cover story “Thrifty Business” [April 16] highlighting ReSOURCE and the growth it is experiencing. The story touched on many elements of giving your leftovers a second chance in the marketplace: landfill space, a circular and local economy, poverty alleviation, and job training — all important and each worthy of its own headline story. Vermonters are known to be frugal and conservationists, and I am reminded of a saying my father-in-law often espoused: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

The ReVT Network project just launched to bring attention to the benefits of reuse and repair. Focused on creating a sustainable network of service providers in this space, the project aims to create a statewide directory of reuse and repair services, as well as identify barriers to making reuse and repairs a viable option for everyone.

We are developing a statewide directory so that people can find a tailor for a zipper repair or an electrician who can fix a lamp switch instead of throwing it out. Over the next year we will host a series of webinars to elevate and amplify the reuse and repair community, ranging from thrift shops to outdoor gear menders. We hope readers will let us know who they turn to for reuse and repair to get them into the directory and join us for our first virtual meeting on May 13 at 2 p.m.

Email us at mullandmor@outlook.com to submit info, sign up for the webinar, or share your reuse and/or repair experiences.

Susan Alexander

Cabot

‘Wonderful Example’

I wanted to take a moment to comment on Jason Barney’s section in the civil unions piece [“From This Day Forward: Former Lawmaker Has Regrets,” April 23]. I find his response to his own life experience full of grace and growth. I can understand looking back and feeling regret in voting no to civil unions in Vermont, but I also understand being 21 years old, not even a fully developed adult, and the pressure there is transitioning into “the real world.”

They say hindsight is 20/20, and I admire and am grateful for Barney’s expression of vulnerability. His ability to recognize, acknowledge and offer an apology for a decision that was made so long ago is a wonderful example to the young ones he comes in contact with every day — and anyone, for that matter.

If any guilt remains from that, may it be released. Clearly he knows the impact of the decisions a person makes and the amount of influence it can have on the world.

What a shining example of grace and growth. I’m grateful for Barney’s influence and contribution as an educator and a human. Thank you.

Andrea DiMedio

Richford

Medicare ‘Gotchas’

[Re From the Publisher: “65 Candles,” April 2]: I thought Paula Routly’s concise explanation of the basics of Medicare was excellent. Having been on Medicare now for 12 years, and as a supporter of universal health care, I cringe when I hear the slogan “Medicare for All.”

Not only is Medicare tough to understand in the beginning, but to continue to get the best deal we are encouraged to compare Medigap policies for supplemental coverage and Part C drugs every 12 months!

And there are some other gotchas: Companies can deny coverage for preexisting conditions, a drug benefit company can change its “formulary” (prices) after choosing them, and more. All the various “simplified” guides to explain benefits are brain-busting.

As Routly wrote about her mother: Medical bills can seem to be paid for rather easily. But the road to getting there is expensive, complicated and full of potholes.

Paul Haskell

Marshfield

More on Medicare

I was disappointed by the depiction of Medicare in the “From the Publisher” column [“65 Candles”] on April 2. In an issue on retirement and money, the topic deserved a nuanced, in-depth look, rather than the brief negative impression conveyed by Paula Routly’s experience on turning 65.

While it is true that Medicare can initially seem complex and that many “employer-sponsored” plans are less expensive (since the employer is picking up part of the tab), once you are actually retired and have made your traditional Medicare choices, it is by far the most fair and inexpensive health coverage available.

A couple of points are worth highlighting. First, the information Routly paid for through a consultant is available (in unbiased form) through free workshops from Vermont’s State Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Second, the insurance plans that cover gaps and drugs in traditional Medicare (Medigap and Part D) are much more highly regulated than private insurance plans. You don’t need prior approvals to see doctors or specialists, don’t need to see only a limited group of doctors, and overall costs are much more transparent.

Yes, there is a learning curve to understanding differences in possible plans, but information is readily available through Medicare websites, publications and the SHIP program. Traditional Medicare is under heavy assault from insurance companies that want a larger share of our health care dollars. Instead, we would be better served by “Medicare for All,” or at least by information that gives a more balanced view of the options available.

Geoffry Fried

Peacham

‘Protect Every Child’

The recent Seven Days investigation by Alison Novak exposes a fundamental flaw in how Vermont oversees independent schools that accept public dollars [“Background Check: The Man Tapped to Run Vermont’s New Juvenile Detention Center Heads Programs Where Staffers Face Abuse Allegations,” April 9].

Long before a staff member at the Vermont School for Girls was charged last month with the repeated sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor student, warning signs had been raised. In 2018, the State Board of Education debated serious red flags at the school. It raised concerns about missing documentation, fitness of leadership and whether students were receiving the services they were placed there to receive. Despite this, the school was granted continued approval. In 2023, it was approved again for five more years, with no mention of the prior abuses or concerns.

These publicly funded schools are not required to hire licensed teachers. Site visits are rare. Investigations take months, if they happen at all. Even when there are repeated concerns, as there were at this school, there is no requirement nor clear process for review or corrective action.

We would never tolerate this lack of oversight in our public schools. Why should it be acceptable for publicly funded private schools, including schools that serve our most vulnerable children, those in state custody, children with disabilities and children recovering from trauma?

Vermont must hold all publicly funded schools to the same standards. The state has a responsibility to protect every child in its care. Looking away is no longer an option.

Geo Honigford

South Royalton

Not Educational

[Re “A Public Education: Zoie Saunders Would Prefer to Lead Vermont’s Schools From Behind the Scenes. But She Can’t Escape the Spotlight,” March 26]: I’m so discouraged and disgusted with the coverage of this education secretary to date. She was ill gotten, ill placed and ultimately voted in on the second go by weak-kneed legislators. Her background is a mystery, as her Google search has been scrubbed. I found one article in Florida and could not get the journalist to call me back. A little more investigating in our journalism, and you would not be so surprised at the recent letter asking school districts for their plan to abide by an executive order that is currently in litigation.

Where is Gov. Phil Scott? Feeling his oats with the loss of the supermajority — a good thing, but he now feels empowered to put on his MAGA hat? I have a feeling we have seen nothing yet. Our attorney general needs to stand with other New England states against this whitewashing and privileging of public education. For more on Saunders I suggest you start by searching the Miami Herald for its coverage and read the plan in Broward County, Fla., that our “new bold plan” has eerie echoes of.

You might notice that Broward has two and a half times more people than the entire state of Vermont. It’s hard to see exactly where her hand is in all of this work in Florida because, as I’ve said, she’s been scrubbed from the internet. Please do your job and find out her background, who recommended her to our state, who funds the curriculum groups that came in with the changes, etc.

Vermonters deserve more information.

Ann Marie Dryden

Wolcott

Saunders, Speak Out

As one who has worked in education in the state of Vermont for my entire professional career, 1982 to 2025, I was taken aback that Education Secretary Zoie Saunders sent a directive to superintendents statewide about diversity, equity and inclusion. It is now my understanding that she mistakenly reached out before fully having done all of her “homework.” It now appears to be, at least temporarily, resolved [“Education Secretary to Feds: Vermont Will Continue ‘DEI’ Practices,” April 14]. I would hope that in the future the secretary would not jump so quickly to act when our students all across the Green Mountain State need to feel safe, supported and secure in their schools.

No matter the setting, be it in the rural corners of the Northeast Kingdom or greater Chittenden County, our students need to know that the secretary of education has their back. It was a very confusing time for those of us in the trenches who heard about that initial email and that we had “10 days to comply.” I applaud the superintendent in Winooski who immediately said no.

I know that the state is well aware of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, but it’s time for the secretary to emphatically state that she does not support the Trump administration’s policies, directives or activities that attempt to take down DEI. Vermont is known as the “brave little state,” and now is the time to continue with that tradition.

Those of us working in Vermont public schools are counting on Saunders to stand up and speak out.

Sarah Soule

Shelburne

Listen to the Kingdom

[Re “Sweeping Education Reform Bill Advances in Vermont House,” April 10, online]: While this bill authored by the Vermont House is less disastrous than Gov. Phil Scott’s plan for the most impoverished and rural area of the state, there are many problems with it.

The school district that is currently the poorest, Orleans Central Supervisory Union, has a per-pupil cost for fiscal year 2026 of $13,495.41 for high school and $12,957.26 for elementary and middle school students, based on long-term weighted-average daily membership. The House proposal would give $15,003, according to the referenced article. This would entail an increase in per-pupil spending. That’s great for students, except for the fact that the average class size in OCSU is below the minimum. To increase class sizes in some of the schools, because of the buildings that exist in the district, would entail going above fire code recommendations. Building new buildings that would fit the larger classes is exceptionally expensive. If these class-size recommendations do end up being the law, then that would mean fewer teachers. The main drivers of budget are teacher salaries and the health insurance that comes along with them.

Many rural districts already have kids who spend an hour and a half on the bus each way to school.

Why should a district that has for years taken kids that are severely impoverished and then had them ending high school with test scores above the median for the state be the thing that is changed? Chittenden County should take lessons from the Northeast Kingdom, not the other way around.

Max Demaine

West Glover

‘Please Be Professional’

[Re “On Message? Democrats on the Burlington City Council Talked Business — and Gossiped — in a Group Text Chain,” March 26]: Although gossip is a social form of bonding, please be professional, people. We reside in a small, interdependent community, where we are one to two degrees of separation from each other. Plus, it’s just not nice. My motto: Dance like no one is looking; text like it will be read in court!

Donna Constantineau

Newport City

Big League

[Re calendar listing for Junior League mixer, April 9]: A few years ago, I moved back to Burlington and found that many of my college and first-job friends had left. Eager to reconnect with my community, I wasn’t sure where to start. My mom suggested the Junior League, which I had been involved with growing up in Connecticut.

I hesitated, picturing a room full of Lilly Pulitzer-clad women sipping tea. But at my first gathering for new members, I quickly realized these women were just like me — passionate about their community, eager for professional growth, and committed to making Vermont more affordable and accessible for everyone.

Through the league, I met motivated professionals from health care, law, government, education and advocacy, all working in their professional and personal lives to create change. I packed diapers, chopped wood, dealt blackjack at fundraisers, swam with children on the spectrum and cooked meals. These experiences deepened my understanding of local organizations and their impact.

Beyond volunteering, the league shaped my career. The fundraising skills and connections I gained from this fully volunteer-run organization helped me land my current job. More importantly, it gave me a sense of belonging and purpose, proving that community is something you can build — one meaningful connection at a time.

Olivia Taylor

Burlington

Taylor is the vice president of philanthropy for the Junior League of Champlain Valley.