Governor Peter Shumlin announced this afternoon that he will not seek re-election at the end of this term in 2016. During a press conference this afternoon he announced that he wants take the next 18 months in office to complete the goals he has laid-out for his administration.
For the third time this year, voters in the five Addison Northwest Supervisory Union towns will head to the polls tomorrow to try and pass a budget for Vergennes Union High School. The VUHS board has proposed a $10,258,933 budget for the upcoming school year that is $211,000 lower than the plan defeated on Town Meeting Day and $55,000 less than the proposal that lost on May 5. If the budget is defeated again, state law says VUHS will operate at an assumed budget of 87 percent of the current spending until voters approve a new plan.
Also heading to the polls tomorrow are voters in Bristol, Monkton, Starksboro, Lincoln and New Haven as they too will be trying for a third time to pass a school spending plan for Mount Abe. The current proposal is $13,947,738, which is a 1.02-percent decrease compared to the current spending plan.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is offering a $100 thousand reward as the search expands for Richard Matt and David Sweat, the 2 convicted murders that escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora early Saturday morning. It is the first escape ever from the Up-State New York Prison. Police say both prisoners are considered to be a danger to the public. They say if located, do not approach them. Contact 911 or the New York State Police immediately.
The American Federation of Teachers says that a tentative agreement reached for full-time faculty at Vermont State Colleges. According to the union, after months of negotiation, terms of the 2015-2018 deal include: compensation increases of up to four percent, three point five percent, and three point five percent over the next three years, preservation of faculty job security, intellectual property, and academic freedom, and additional compensation for developing and teaching master's courses. The Vermont State Colleges Faculty Federation will hold a ratification vote in the fall.
Governor Peter Shumlin is promoting an upcoming job fair with 35 employers looking to fill more than 600 positions. The Vermont Career Connections Job Fair runs from noon to 6 p.m. at the Sheraton in South Burlington on Friday. Shumlin says it's encouraging that so many jobs are available.
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