Letter from Dick Hess

I am writing this after a series of meetings with my local school board and being granted the opportunity to voice my opinions in their budget process as a “budget buddy” as they have called it. I have been doing this now for the past three years.

I have heard over and over again the grueling battle of education for our kids over the costs of providing that education. As everyone knows we have had a few very difficult years and we still agree to the increases in the budgets to provide our kids with good educations because if we do not we will have to cut here and there at the dismay and quality of the education your child will receive.

The state sets what can actually be cut out of the budget because they set the basis from the property taxes (poor avenue) and the rest comes directly out of the education programming and our pockets.

What is disheartening to me is the fact that every couple of years the process of negotiating teachers' contracts comes to light. It has always been “I cannot speak about the details of the contract with you” response when asking board members what is going on with the negotiations. We need to open this process up and report on it more publicly so we are all in the know about how the process works. We need to be more concerned about how the local boards and the unions work to keep giving these raises and benefits.

You need to look at the reasons the unions push so hard. It does not concern our kids' educations, it concerns the unions' coffers. In light of shrinking money for our school programs every year our Boards have the options of laying off teachers as well as cutting programs which are not being used by our students. The unions are taking the hit because of the lay offs so they are losing money from the dues they receive. If you read the message from the Vermont NEA they are telling the union members to “holdfast do not give in to the economy, you need to make more, and you deserve it.” They are telling teachers “do not worry about the raises in the budgets because they have already accounted for those raises in those budgets.”

Well we all deserve a break today, not just the teachers. How many years has this idea been brought to light and discussed on the street and nothing changes? We have the State of Vermont making cuts and the state employees conceding to lowering their salaries in light of the current status of the economy. I am wondering if our teachers will give us this same consideration and maybe do the same for this contract session. I am not saying that they might not deserve a raise and are not entitled to one. The public sectors need these raises as well and they are not happening. Again the Vermont NEA says “don’t concede it will hurt you in the long run.”

I know most of the teachers care for our kids and their well being, but if they really care about the kids and the programs and aides they keep asking for to do a better job, then why not consider taking a no-raise mentality for this current contract. This could save some of the teachers' jobs that are at risk, and valuable programs that according to the teachers we need to serve the bottom line, our kid’s education.

What I am urging you to do is call or write your Town School Board member. Everyone seems too busy or afraid to stand for what they believe in. This is a right of ours in an ever changing world of someone trying to control those rights without using the representation you elected to watch out for your interests in the education process.

Teachers please be stronger than the unions and make a point to bypass any raises this time around. All will be very grateful for your actions and it will help make a greater sense of community and family in your school system.