08.17.2010 - Matt Dunne Candidate For Vermont Governor

Dear Friends:

I am happy and honored to write this letter of support regarding Vermont Governor Candidate Matt Dunne. My awareness of Matt goes back to his early childhood as a friend of his mother and father. He has always been energetic, thoughtful and responsible. At age 22 his neighbors elected him to the Vermont House of Representatives, where he served for seven years. It was no surprise when he was selected by President Clinton to run AmeriCorps Vista. Matt's leadership ability allowed AmeriCorps Vista to become a national model. He came home from Washington, upon the passing of his mother, to live on the family homestead. Again it was not a surprise when he decided to run for the Vermont Senate.

During his tenure in the legislature he has championed, equity for all Vermonters, health care, support for the resurgence of downtown Vermont, creation of new jobs and support for new and emerging new business. I had the opportunity to work directly with him on the Harassment in Schools Bill.

In 2006 he left the Senate and his position of Associate Director at Dartmouth College’s, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, to run for Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor. Matt brought high energy and organization to that campaign. That campaign experience and knowledge has positioned him extremely well for his run for Governor of the State of Vermont.

Matt has promised that he will work tirelessly for us as Vermont’s Governor, and that you can count on. If you would like to learn more about Matt’s plans call (802)478-0858 or log on to his website www.mattdunne. com. I’m voting for him because I believe we deserve a Governor who works hard for us every day. Matt is a life long Vermonter who lives with his wife and three children, in his boyhood home in Hartland. If you want a positive change in Vermont's executive branch your support for Matt Dunne will be appreciated.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin "Coach" Christie

07.21.2010 - VSEA (Vermont State Employees Association) Endorses Christie Campaign!!

Wed. June 16,

Hi Coach,

Congrats!

Our Board and Council voted to give you a tier 1 endorsement for your House race.

04.02.2010 - The Future of Education in Hartford

The Future of Education in Hartford

We stand at a crossroads in Hartford. Over the last several months, we have attempted to generate an education budget for the Hartford School District that recognizes the dire economic realities confronting citizens throughout the country and our region while maintaining the high quality of educational outcomes that we’ve become accustomed to in Hartford. Vermont is a nationally recognized leader in educational achievement, and our district’s recent successes in scholarship, athletics, the fine arts and career and technology education are a tribute to our teachers and students. Due to a variety of factors including a continuing freeze on state contributions to educational funding and rising expenses, we produced a budget representing a $700,000 decrease in spending from a level that would have allowed us to have the same level of educational services as the previous year. This budget was defeated by voters on March 2 during Australian balloting. We returned to the drawing board and have proposed an additional $644,217 in cuts to the budget. The teachers of the district, in response to voters’ concerns, agreed to a wage freeze and increased contributions to their health insurance that will result in over $276,000 in savings. The Hartford Education Association showed courage and leadership in taking this action.

We will now go before the community on April 5 (7:00 p.m. at the Hartford High School gymnasium) with a budget that we feel strikes a fair balance between maintaining high educational standards and recognizing economic realities. The proposed $1.34 million in reduced spending for the Hartford School District will have a profound impact on the educational services provided to children in Hartford. These reductions include: 6 teacher positions, 11 instructional support and administrative positions, freezes on new educational supplies, reduced co-curricular opportunities, reductions in special education spending, loss of many services to students, and the list goes on. We feel strongly that additional cuts in our budget will result in a catastrophic decline in the quality of the educational experience for our children—these are our daughters and sons, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and, most importantly the future of Hartford. This process has not been easy, and we are thankful for the hard work and thoughtful input of the district’s staff and community members. We as a community must come to a broader understanding of the value of education, constructive deliberation and civic engagement. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the future of education in Hartford to attend Monday’s meeting, listen to the information presented, and vote on the district budget.

The Hartford School Board

Kevin Christie, Chair

Tim Fariel, Clerk

Jeff Arnold

Phil Bouthillier

Chris Sneddon