Yesterday (October 16), Gov. Peter Shumlin expressed his desire to make teacher strikes illegal in Vermont. The Democrat (and head of the Democratic Governors Association) sure picked a terrible time to talk about the issue while more than 200 of our brothers and sisters walk the picket line in South Burlington's first-ever teachers strike.  Here is our response to the governor's ill-timed pronouncements on the issue: While our members are exercising their

Vermont-NEA's Suggestions for DCF Improvement Last month, we asked for your opinions on your interactions with the Department for Children and Families. We heard from many of you. And while your experiences varied, a common theme emerged. “Our members are the eyes and ears that bring to light the lion’s share of suspected abuse and neglect,” Vermont-NEA Executive Director Joel Cook wrote in comments submitted to the Vermont Legislative Committee on

By Martha Allen   It’s always fun – in a what-will-they-come-up-with-next kind of way – to read the ramblings from Vermont’s most prolific right-wing think tank. And the latest screed from Ethan Allen Institute President Rob Roper doesn’t disappoint. Waving the “results” of a “poll” done under the auspices of a national anti-union group and funded in part by a company shilling liability insurance to teachers, Roper claims that a majority of Vermonters