I hope you have had time to enjoy some long sunny days, as summer comes to a close, kids go back to school, college classes start, fall harvest season begins, and the lives of many Vermonters get busier. I am writing with an update on legislative work and some resources related to back-to-school & education, immigration, the federal situation, climate & weather, and some personal news.
First, in case you missed it, you can find my summary of highlights from this past legislative session on my website, including our work on agriculture & the environment, education, health care, housing, and taxation. You may have received a mailer or seen social media posts from a national, right-wing organization called Americans for Prosperity making misleading claims about our work this past session. Don’t believe their dark-money hype—instead, read my updates and reach out to me if you have questions.
Back-to-School and Education
Cellphones in Schools. Students and parents may see a change in whether cell phones are allowed in schools this year. After passage of Act 72, which requires schools to adopt a bell-to-bell cellphone prohibition starting next school year, many schools are implementing a cellphone policy this year to work out the kinks. Act 72 also prohibits schools from communicating with students via social media starting this year. The Vermont Coalition of Phone- and Social Media-Free Schools has written some guidance related to Act 72 and a group of education organizations are working on a model policy for schools to adopt ahead of next school year.
Redistricting Task Force. The major education transformation legislation, Act 73 which passed in June, created a School District Redistricting Task Force to make recommendations on how to redraw and consolidate Vermont’s 112 school districts. This group of 11 people will have to work quickly on this enormous and complex task in order to make recommendations to the Legislature by December 15. They are required to consider various criteria and hold two public hearings to gather feedback from communities. You can learn more about their work on the Task Force website, including meeting agendas, materials and recordings. For more information about the complexities of their task, listen to this episode of Vermont Edition, featuring two members of the Task Force.
Higher Education Leadership. This summer, Middlebury College and the University of Vermont are both welcoming new presidents. I had the pleasure of meeting with Middlebury President Ian Baucom and UVM President Marlene Tromp over the summer. I was impressed with both of them and their vision for their institutions and higher education in Vermont. I was especially delighted to hear that they are eager to work together on initiatives that benefit local communities, Vermont, and beyond. At this time when higher education at all levels is under attack from Trump and the Republican Congress, I am thrilled to have strong new leadership of Vermont’s major colleges and universities, including Presidents Baucom and Tromp and VT State Colleges System Chancellor Elizabeth Mauch of Cornwall.
Legislative Page Program. If you know (or are) an 8th grader who would like to spend six weeks at the VT State House working and learning about the Vermont Legislature, check out the Legislative Page Program. It’s a great opportunity for a front-row seat (literally) to watch the action in the State House. It’s a competitive program with applications due September 30.
Immigration
I regularly hear from constituents with questions and concerns about how to protect family, colleagues, and community members who are immigrants or living in the United States temporarily for work or school. The Trump administration’s obsessive, brutal attacks on immigrants, including those who are citizens and/or living in the United States legally, such as Winooski School Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria, are terrifying. Trump’s orders to arrest, detain, harass, and intimidate immigrants are an affront to the U.S. Constitution, the right to due process, and American values as a country of immigrants. If you or someone you know is concerned about what to do when meeting with immigration officials or confronted by ICE, it’s important to know your rights. Please review these online resources from the VT Attorney General’s Office, Vermont ACLU, and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project. If you want to help, consider making a donation to the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund.
American Democracy
Like so many Vermonters, I am seriously concerned about the state of American democracy and human rights under the Trump Regime. Each day seems to bring a new assault, such as yesterday’s announcement that the federal government would deny Vermont funding for a sex education program aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This week’s piece by Vermonter and journalist Garrett Graff, with the particularly ominous name, “America Tips into Fascism,” is frightening but worth the read. It’s a clear reminder that the havoc Trump is wreaking will have enormous consequences for America and the world for decades to come. I also recommend reading the columns of Elizabeth Shackleford, Vermonter and former career diplomat, who writes so clearly about Trump’s destructive foreign policy decisions. Dismantling American institutions that have kept the peace, protected human rights, advanced medicine and science, and stabilized the economy for decades will not make America great. While some reforms are reasonable and necessary, destruction, chaos, and tyranny, along with blatant disregard for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, are absolutely not.
Weather & Climate Change
It was a relief that with the exception of one day (July 10 again!), Vermont was spared another summer of flooding. Instead, it has been a summer of drought with water levels hitting historic lows. Many towns have asked residents to conserve water as aquifers are running low. Vermonters who rely on wells should also conserve water – see guidelines from Vermont Department of Health about Drought and Your Well. For farmers, the Agency of Agriculture has compiled a list of water haulers if you need assistance with irrigation and the National Integrated Drought Information System provides updates about drought conditions in the Northeast. Although the Canadian wildfire smoke seems to have cleared, here’s a good “Vermonter’s guide to wildfire smoke and air quality,” published by Vermont Public. Looking back on the floods, the State of Vermont has created a video and story map, Recovery, Rebuilding, Resilience: Reflecting on the Storms of 2023 and 2024. It provides information about response, recovery, and resilience, including ongoing mitigation projects.
Finally, my personal news. This fall, my husband will be on leave from his position at Middlebury College and will be lecturing and teaching in Europe. I will be joining him on this adventure, working remotely and keeping him company on his travels. With our kids launched and our nest empty, this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. I will still be working on behalf of constituents and preparing for the upcoming legislative session, so if you need to reach me, please contact me by email as my phone number will not be active while we’re away.
Thanks for reading and take care.
Ruth for Vermont 