MONTPELIER – At a press conference on his statewide teachers’ health benefits negotiations proposal, Governor Scott highlighted his plan’s educational equality benefits. “Under the current system school districts can be subject to local teacher strikes, leaving some of Vermont’s children without access to education while other Vermont students are able to attend classes normally.” explained Scott. “However, under my plan no students would be left behind their peers during a teacher strike. Any impasse over health benefits for educators would be fairly distributed across Vermont, ensuring equal educational opportunity, or lack thereof, for every child.”
Scott emphasized that all Vermonters should be equally invested in cancelling classes for weeks at a time. The Governor’s office distributed proposed plans for sharing child care duties during such strikes. “With all towns having to manage unforeseen child care during shutdowns at the same time, extraordinary opportunities for cooperation arise. For example, Jericho could agree to watch Underhill’s children while Underhill goes to work on even numbered days and Underhill could watch Jericho’s children while Jericho works on odd days.”
At a protest later that day Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman stated his firm opposition to the plan as an attack on workers’ rights and local control. “Although” Zuckerman added, “once I’m Governor, this plan would make it easier to roll out the first ever single payer medical marijuana health insurance statewide instead of having to implement it district by district”
Leave a Reply