"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin

We are blessed to live in the great state of Vermont, where our teachers are our neighbors, our legislators are our friends, and our community members are intricately weaved together through shared goals.  

Our education system in Vermont has evolved over the years, and yet we find ourselves in the situation of consistently being "stuck" when it comes to collective bargaining. While boards impose contracts and teachers strike, the ones caught in the crossfire are our very own children.  

As the only New England state, and one of only 13 states in the nation, that allows teachers to strike, it is time that we revisit the idea that was most recently introduced in 2015.  Senator Joe Benning set out to pass S. 111 and Representative Kurt Wright set out to pass HR. 76, both of which would eliminate  teacher strikes AND school board imposed contracts in connection with collective bargaining for teachers’ and school administrators’ contracts.  The bills, which were strongly lobbied against by the VNEA, failed by the narrowest of margins.  

Two years later, both Burlington and South Burlington have voted to strike again, leaving our children without education. Both Senator Benning and Representative Wright plan to reintroduce this legislation again.  Petitioning our state legislators is the most direct way to make them aware of our desires and needs.  They are here to listen to us.  

Your support does not imply that you are for or against the teachers union and/or the school board. Again, the proposed legislation addresses BOTH sides because it bans school board imposed contracts and school strikes.  

The passing of this act would serve to protect teachers, parents, tax payers, and most importantly, our children. In this day and age, there has to be a better way to bargain without our children suffering the consequences.  Please join us in this effort.