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A New Message from the Chairman
By Curtis G. Hier
It might seem lately that we've strayed far a field from our original mission of getting schools to spend their money more wisely. In promoting wiser spending, we've come up against a government bound up by lobbyists who are committed to the status quo. And we’ve been trying to play on a field that is not level.
So now we've had to set aside our original goals for a moment while we try to level the playing field by trying to promote open and accountable government. We find ourselves waging a battle on political and legal fronts.
On the political front, we've formed a political action committee. We are vowed to support candidates who will remain independent of the Vermont-NEA and its opposition to effective education spending. We will oppose those candidates who do the bidding of the Vermont-NEA. And we will ally ourselves with proponents of school choice, because it is they who seem most interested in education results.
On the legal front, we are taking legal action against the Vermont School Boards Association for using public money to lobby against effective school spending as well as school choice. And we have filed action to get public records released pertaining to the role of the Vermont-NEA in defeating proposals to make spending more effective and accountable.
Please read our articles. Scan our coverage. Watch our television ad. Let us know what you think. Pledge us some money, if you can. (The bills are piling up!) Spread the message. We appreciate whatever you can do to help.
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Symington sued over e-mail access
A Fair Haven teacher is in the process of filling a lawsuit against Speaker of the House Gaye Symington - the Democratic candidate for governor - over access to her correspondence.
The lawsuit may settle a gray area in the law that has periodically arisen for several years: How much access should the public have to lawmakers' correspondence. But coming just a few weeks before the election, the suit also carries some political overtones.
( Read More )
Times Argus, Oct 15, 2008
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Symington responds, sort of.
I have fully complied with Mr. Hier's requests for legislative and personal emails regarding Act 82 and education finance.
( Read More )
Speaker's Statement, Oct 15, 2008
The Truth: Speaker Symington has only offered to release redacted constituent messages, but no lobbyist emails.
She has not fully complied.
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Curtis Hier: Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week
Hier asked for e-mail correspondence from Gaye Symington, speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and a current candidate for governor of Vermont. He asked from similar correspondence from other members of the state legislature. He didn’t get what he was looking for, so he has filed a lawsuit.
( Read More )
Open Records, Oct 15, 2008
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Man stymied in hunt for Vt. legislative records
By Dave Gram, Associated Press
Curt Hier has been trying to find out if a teachers’ union influenced lawmakers’ votes on a school funding bill, but says his requests for public records from the Vermont Legislature have produced nothing but frustration.
( Read More )
Burlington Free Press, Sep 17, 2008
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Seeing Double Standards
The recent kerfuffle over the Douglas administration’s effort to hide aspects of its plan to cut state jobs is keeping tensions high between union members, key lawmakers and the governor .... Turns out that emails on the legislative server are automatically deleted after 90 days. That means unless an individual lawmaker decided to archive his or her messages, emails from this past session are - poof! - gone forever.
( Read More )
Seven Days, Sep 17, 2008
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Fair Haven teacher sues school over lobby issue
A high school social studies teacher is suing a grade school in his town over a $1,400 line item in the school's budget that he says goes to a cause he doesn't support - lobbying state legislators for public education causes.
( Read More )
Rutland Herald, Sep 11, 2008
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