I have a tremendous respect for people who have weighed in on Act 46 in Barre Town, both pro and con. I even agree with Ms. Ricks about the fact that school funding should come from other sources other than property taxes. Right now no one has the guts to offer an alternative, She lost the election and both she and I will be compost before the funding stuff changes. If Oreste Valsingacomo was alive today (for those of you who don’t know, he was a very respected Representative from Barre City who worked on school funding issues. My mother was his house cleaner and adored the family) he would say that a school funding plan has a shelf life of 10-15 years. I agree we are over do but this is the best deal right now. Do the town folks realize that you are already sending your kids to a combined school? Do your realize that that the sending High School, SHS, school is giving out more than $450,000 worth of scholarships each year to Barre Town and Barre City residents? Are you happy that your CEO of the school has to repeat herself or his self to four board meetings a month with an agenda that is duplicative? Are you happy with the fact that there is four times more the duplication than there should be? Are you going to be happy with the fact that your taxes will go up because you chose to have your own playground? How many of you are ready to spend the time away from your families to make the decisions that need to be made as a school board member because if you are there are at least six vacancies right now that are unfilled!!!
I will admit that my thinking may be skewed on this issue because I care so much about kids. I have been a coach and a school Board member for 16 years!!! I have seen the inside!!! What is not skewed is the elephant in the room. There is a group of people in Barre Town who think they are better than Barre City. There is no irony to the fact that Barre Town overlooks Barre City. Think about that. Yet many Barre Town voters who stick their noses up to Barre City have made their money off from them. I am proud to have lived in both and to have been educated in both. I see people I don’t see distinctions.
For those of you who think that our Barre Town kids are holier than you know what, I can tell you as a long time basketball coach, that some of my most difficult kids came from the Barre Town.
Mr. Blow, an opposition leader, has never, as an elected official, supported anything to do with Barre City. Check his record. Yet his business is willing to accept money from Barre City residents and businesses.
My point is that it should not be us and them. They are our kids and all boats should rise and under this plan they do rise. Governor Scott talked about that today in his budget speech. We can no longer afford what we have. This is a start and it will get better. Be brave and think outside the box. Vote yes on Tuesday January 31, 2017.

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