Announcing Candidacy for 3-year Term on the CVU School Board
Letter from Richard Hess

I am running for the 3 year School Board Director term for Champlain Valley Union High School. I have lived in Vermont my entire life, with the past 8 years here in Charlotte. My wife and I have three children; a senior at CVU, a sophomore at CVU, and a 6th grader at CCS. I’ve been pleased with the educational experiences that my children have had at CVU. I believe it provides a strong academic opportunity for the children and is supported by great leadership.

For the past three years, I’ve been involved in CVU’s budget process as a “Budget Buddy”. This has allowed me the privilege of having input on the issues at hand and their effect on the budget. Although community attendance at these meetings is limited, I’ve felt it important to attend to stay current on the issues and expand my knowledge of issues facing the board. That said, I believe there are areas where I can contribute to ensure the strong education at CVU is balanced with a responsible budget.
1. I believe we need to make a stronger effort to encourage a more efficient and responsible process of developing and managing a $20+ million budget. Each year, the administration provides decision packets to grow or delete programs. I believe instead of looking at each year in isolation, we would benefit from having a multi-year business plan looking out 3-5 years. This way many different subjects such as curriculum choices, size of student bodies, eliminating programs, etc. can be on the table allowing for discussion and evaluation with public input at a time well in advance of budget development.
2. I am a firm believer that the teachers should be paid a proper salary for the excellent jobs they do. I am not a strong supporter of the Union position of automatic increases in salaries. I feel that economic decision should be made with the best interest of our children as the driving force versus the interest of the unions.
3. I believe a school’s job is to teach children how to think on their own, make good sound decisions, and be encouraged to take positions contrary to the ideals of the majority.
4. I believe the disconnect between Montpelier and local boards has to end. Our budget process concludes just as the legislature begins making decisions, some which have significant impact on local budgets. I would make attempts at trying to get this accomplished as long as I was on the board.

I have strong convictions and am intent on making things work better. I am a team player and look forward to working with board members as well as the members of the Charlotte community. However, I am not afraid of being in the minority on decisions and will assure you that I will introduce ideas that represent out of the box thinking. I will not take as the final words on a topic, “this is the way we have always done things”, without making an attempt to change if change is needed.

I will be making myself available for any questions on certain dates through out the election process. I’m open to hearing new ideas and welcome any call (425-4571) or email (hessr96 @ yahoo .com). Thank you for your time

Dick Hess