(Click here for the GMD gubernatorial primary candidate questionnaire part 1)

This is the second diary of responses from the five Democratic candidates for Governor to the questionnaire sent to them by GMD. Once again, the questions had their genesis in this diary from last summer, as well as emails from readers (the questions did undergo a certain amount of “processing” to clean up and consolidate them a bit).

The topics addressed in part 2 are PERMITTING, AGRICULTURE, HEALTH CARE, and EDUCATION.

A reminder of how to read the responses. The questions were presented under general categories. Some candidates’ responded question by question. Other times candidates would take all the questions under a given category and write a collective response encompassing all the questions. In some categories, candidates would respond by combining some questions and not others.

As such, the questionnaires are presented as follows: under each category, all the questions we asked are listed as bullets. At the end of each category, the candidates’ complete answers are presented (in alphabetical order by candidate). If the candidate answered each specific question, their answers are numbered accordingly. If their answers are not numbered, that indicates a generalized response to all the questions collectively.

So follow us below the flip for the candidates’ responses to this second of three rounds. Then come back on Friday for the final questions covering SOCIAL SERVICES, the 2010 ELECTION PROCESS, and a broad range of other questions collectively bannered as RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT (generally).

PERMITTING:

• Vermont was spared some of the worst effects of the real estate bubble as a result of its progressively cautious regulations requiring “look before you leap” development.  Despite a proven track record of economic stability that comes with protecting the value of our environment, many Republicans continue to allege that regulations such as Act 250 discourage “quality” businesses from locating in Vermont.  How do you respond to this argument and how strongly will you defend the ability to access the Act 250 system — by affected Vermonters, local citizen groups and small businesses that depend on Vermont value-added products tied to a healthy environment — in order to challenge and protect themselves from projects having potentially significant environmental and economic impacts for their communities?
• Do you support Senate Natural Resources Committee Chair Ginny Lyons’ proposal to streamline the permitting process?

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SUSAN BARTLETT:

1. Act 250 is a major reason why Vermont is such a great place to live. It has helped preserve our landscape by protecting us from rampant strip development. It keeps Vermont from fluctuating during times of economic boom and bust.

It was originally designed to work with a statewide planning bill that never passed and that is what has caused many of the problems with Act 250. Vermont needs development and that development must be orderly, well planned and in the interest of the majority of Vermonters.

2. The bill in Senate Natural Resources is the work of many groups over the summer and fall.  I believe that it has many great ideas and that an overhaul of the permitting system can and should lead to better citizen access; a speedy delivery of many permits and cost effectiveness for applicants.

MATT DUNNE:

1. Vermont’s focus on environmental protection has served the state well over the last forty years.  That does not mean there is not room for improvement, particularly in creating additional predictability for developers and environmentalists alike.  

During my 11 years in the Vermont legislature, I sponsored the Downtown Bill and brownfields legislation, and focused on supporting economic development in suitable locations.

My administration would take the following immediate steps:

• Create mechanisms for citizens to keep better track of permit applications as they wend their way through the system.  Such technology should allow for cross-agency, team approaches to permitting.  This would ensure speedy responses and opportunities to collaborate with applicants using on-line forms. Applicants could make adjustments without having to repeatedly resubmit.
• Pre-permit abandoned industrial sites and prioritized locations in designated downtowns to ensure these properties can be redeveloped quickly within preset parameters and to make them the priority for redevelopment.
• Strengthen and accelerate our brownfields law to ensure new owners can quickly understand the steps necessary to eliminate liability and move forward with clean-up and development of these priority properties.
• Revisit Act 250 schedules and timelines to ensure complex applications have predictable timelines for review without interruptions.

Citizen participation is the Vermont way and should be absolutely defended.  A predictable process for that review and engagement should not damage that engagement opportunity.

2. I applaud Senator Lyon’s willingness to jump into this issue and look for ways to make significant improvements.  While I have some specific issues with some elements of the legislation, I know the bill as introduced is intended to be a jumping off point. I look forward to seeing how it progresses this session.

DEB MARKOWITZ:

1. I’m running for governor to create jobs and protect our quality of life. This means protecting our village centers, our working landscape, and our natural resources.  I know those two goals are intertwined and not opposed. The Republicans have given us a false choice over the last eight years– that we cannot create jobs, while protecting our environment.  I disagree. I know we will succeed economically precisely because of our environmental ethic. Businesses like Burton Snowboard could choose to locate anywhere in the world. Burton chose Vermont because of our commitment to preserving our natural environment. Act 250 works; and while I believe there are ways we could improve the process, I am a strong supporter of the law.

2. When I talk to businesses I hear that they don’t have a problem with the regulations in Vermont, but the process is too arbitrary. I would ensure our permitting process continues to follow the letter and the spirit of the law, while giving support to our businesses so they can better understand permitting and get through the process in a practical manner without sacrificing any of the common sense regulations we have put in place for a reason. The idea of a one-stop permitting shop at the state level is interesting and I would consider any good ideas that will make government more efficient and job creation a priority while protecting our environment.

DOUG RACINE:

Since the beginning of my political career here in Vermont I have been a consistent supporter of Act 250 and our environmental protection laws. Although the law is not perfect and can increase the costs of development, it is my belief that Act 250 has served its purpose of ensuring that the social and environmental impacts of large-scale development are considered and mitigated before development begins. That fundamentally different feeling you get when you cross into Vermont from New York, New Hampshire, or our other neighbors is a direct result of the policies embodied in Act 250.  That is why I have consistently fought attempts to weaken the central provisions of Act 250 and will continue to do so as Governor. Too many so-called reforms of Act 250 have involved both weakening environmental protections or limiting citizen involvement. I have strongly opposed and will continue to oppose those kinds of changes.

While I fundamentally support Act 250 and believe it operates effectively in most cases, I am aware that the permitting process, which is much more than just Act 250, can sometimes become a significant barrier to the development and growth of small businesses in the state. I know that small businesses are the backbone of Vermont’s economy, and I do not want to discourage their growth through an overly burdensome regulatory process that these businesses may not have the resources or expertise to navigate on their own.  

That is why, as Governor, I will work to make the ANR and other permit processes more efficient. This is largely a management issue. I will also support efforts to provide assistance to small businesses navigating the permitting process. The idea is that instead of removing regulations, the state should take an active role in helping provide the expertise and resources that small businesses need to comply with those regulations. In this way we could avoid discouraging small business growth by our development laws while continuing to protect the natural and social environments that are being developed.

PETER SHUMLIN:

1. As the 40th anniversary of Act 250 approaches, we need to be cognizant of how much that law has helped keep Vermont vibrant.  Act 250 has done more to preserve our quality of life and promote economic development than perhaps any other law in Vermont’s history.  Our state’s unique natural environment is one of our most precious assets.  It’s imperative that we uphold the standards set by past leaders – and that we stand up to those who would weaken those standards for the sake of ideology, big box development or short-term economic gain.

2. In my view it is not ready for prime time and I do not intend to have the senate take action on it this year.

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AGRICULTURE:

• What can and will you do to help Vermont’s capability of producing most of the food it eats?
• As opposed to competing with massive agri-businesses in commodity markets such as non-organic raw milk or corn, Vermont’s economy has substantial growth opportunity related to the sale, production and export of value-added agricultural products. What will your administration’s coordinated agenda be to help Vermont farmers/growers/producers develop and promote sustainable, niche and value added agricultural products.

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SUSAN BARTLETT:

Currently the Sustainable Jobs Fund is doing excellent work in developing a 5-year plan for a transition in our farming community to sustainable agriculture. I will make sure that they have the money to complete their plan and then will support the implementation of the plan.

An important part of this transition will be to make low cost loans available to folks who want to become farmers.  I believe that dairy will always be important to Vermont, but we can and should become a major producer to all kinds of food products for New England.  We used to be the breadbasket of New England; I think that would be an excellent goal once again.

We need to develop better slaughter facilities around the state.  We need food processing centers to get produce ready for market and to act as central marketing and shipping points for producers.

MATT DUNNE:

Vermont needs to rethink how we do agriculture. Farming is critical to our economic diversity and, more importantly, the ongoing use of our prime agriculture soils, some of the best in the world, is critical to ensure that we keep these lands open for farming. When water runs out in other parts of the country, as I believe it will, we can once again become the breadbasket of the country.  While dairy can and should be a part of our agriculture mix, there will continue to be enormous challenges to compete in the commodity milk market against larger and larger factory farms in the west, and against overproduction in general. In order to be sustainable, we must proactively diversify our agricultural base.

The Council on Rural Development has done excellent work in outlining a roadmap for our agricultural future.  I encourage everyone to read its two reports on Regional Food Centers and Moving Vermont Agriculture Forward: http://www.vtrural.org/

The key to such change is to leverage our brand for quality and create opportunities for value-added agriculture, including organic vegetables, artisan cheese and specialty meats.

We have a real potential to have a robust, profitable agricultural economy focusing our export efforts and even selling CSA shares to urban areas of Boston and New York City. To do this, my administration will:

• Facilitate the siting of slaughtering facilities throughout the state
• Strengthen the Vermont Agriculture Development Corporation
• Coordinate ag-related event promotion to leverage the state-wide ag community and build a vehicle to allow people to actually purchase products as a follow-on to the events
• Proactively support and strengthen efforts by organizations like Vermont Fresh Network to develop markets for agricultural products in Vermont and identify opportunities to provide fresh products to neighboring cities through coordinated shipping and virtual CSA share sales
• Reduce barriers to diversified farming
• Encourage replication of the Intervale structure to allow value-added farmers to get started without significant debt
• Further develop export support to aid value-added farmers and the Vermont Innovation Kitchens take value-added products to the world
• Develop mechanisms for philanthropic entities and state capital to assist in reducing initial debt as farms transfer to young farmers.

In addition, we must maintain current use and significant state investment in the Housing Conservation Fund. My father, who was one of the co-founders of the Land Trust, always said that a community that cannot feed itself will not survive. Those of us most passionate about these critical programs for sustaining agriculture and open land also have the greatest responsibility to be sure they are maintaining a public purpose, creating good will across the state and ensuring the highest return on investment.  My administration would increase enforcement of current use compliance and propose some level of recreational access to lands in current use.  I would also place an emphasis on protecting the soils with the highest agricultural value.

DEB MARKOWITZ:

1. As Secretary of State, I have seen Vermont farmers struggling to make ends meet, and I have been impressed by the many innovative approaches farm families are taking to modernize their operations and bring their products to new markets.  When I am governor agriculture will be part of Vermont’s economic development plan.  I will take leadership to revitalize and refocus our agricultural policy to balance support for large farms with support for local small-scale agriculture.   I will promote policies that encourage diversification of farm products so that Vermont is less reliant on the fluid milk market and so that we can produce more of the food we eat and have a greater diversity of products to export.  I will support local food processing efforts including safe and ethical slaughterhouse capacity and meat inspection programs.  

As an early supporter of Vermont Foodworks, I know that local food systems are important for our communities and families. As governor, I will support farm to table programs that get Vermont products into our kitchens and into our schools.  I will support the expansion and creation of new farmers markets – and year round markets and I will support the programs that enable seniors and low income Vermonters to eat healthy local foods.

2. When I was visiting my sister in Arizona, we went to the supermarket to get some food for dinner. I was so happy, and a little surprised, to see Grafton, Cabot and of course Green Mountain coffee on their shelves. We have a unique and powerful brand in Vermont and we need to do a better job of marketing. As governor my economic development strategy will include helping to connect growers with food processors.  And we will make sure that our farmers and food processors have the financial, marketing and distribution support they need to succeed.

DOUG RACINE:

Vermont’s dairy sector is facing the worst crisis in decades. With dairy prices as low as they were 30 years ago, we are losing dozens of farms. Dairy pricing is a complicated issue and one that is controlled at the federal level. As governor, I will work with our dairy farmers to advocate on their behalf with our federal delegation to push for a fair pricing structure as well as a supply management system.

At the same time, we must recognize as a state that there are still opportunities for farmers to thrive. Although some state policies still stand in the way, we can and should work with farmers to encourage diversification, year-round production, value-added processing, and direct sales. These types of agricultural ventures are more likely to provide farmers with a fair price for their products, and they will also provide Vermonters with access to fresh, locally produced food. We are leading the nation in access to local food, but we can and must do even better in this area – for our families, our farmers, and also for our economy.

As governor, I will give the agricultural sector the attention it deserves. Agriculture will not be an afterthought in my administration – I will appoint a Secretary of Agriculture who knows the dairy sector well, and who also has an interest in and commitment to the many other types of agriculture that are in Vermont. We have over 6000 farmers in Vermont, and they are contributing every day to our local economy, as well as to our family dinners.

I will focus on finding the opportunities for our agricultural sector that will allow farmers to get a fair price, create jobs, and provide Vermonters with more local food options. My administration will review current policies around direct sales between farmers and customers and will work to reduce barriers between them. I will also focus efforts in rebuilding our value-added processing infrastructure, such as dairy processing, slaughter facilities, and community kitchens. As a state, we must invest in this infrastructure and collaborate with other investors to ensure that our products do not have to leave the state for processing.

I look forward to the recommendations of the Farm to Plate initiative, and that will be my starting point as governor for developing a real economic development plan for the agriculture sector, and integrating that plan with all aspects of the administration, including workforce development, tourism, and job creation initiatives

PETER SHUMLIN:

A sustainable, local agricultural economy where our farmers get the full value for their product is a critical part of my vision for Vermont.  As oil prices rise and the effects of climate change become more apparent, eating local foods will become an economic necessity, not just an upper income trend.  Like other challenges, we need to see this as an opportunity to grow our economy, create jobs and nurture our core values. Succeeding at this will make local foods more affordable and practical for all.  Furthermore, Vermont is perfectly situated to capitalize on the large markets that are within our reach – New York, Boston and Montreal – to help give our farmers the value added price that will make our farms profitable.  As long as we are hostages to Dean Foods and other multinational conglomerates our farmers will continue to work for nothing.  

We need to build upon the local activity that is already happening by bringing together communities, state resources and programs.  We have many such programs in place that I will continue to support and work to expand as governor, such as Current Use, VHCB, the farm to plate program that was passed under my leadership last year and the farm to school program.  

As governor, I will direct all of my agencies to develop a statewide food policy – we need to identify our current farmers, produce, available agricultural land, and infrastructure so we can determine what barriers exist and begin to break them down. I will establish regional food centers where people can preserve and process their food and become better educated on how to feed themselves and their communities.

In addition, I will work to better support our local farmers.  The future of Vermont’s agriculture lies in both traditional dairy, if we can get the value added price, and diversified farming.  I will continue to work with our federal delegation to establish an over order milk premium that would help ensure our dairy farmers are getting paid what they deserve for their milk.  I will also expand programs that help traditional farmers transition to diversified farming, including increasing farmer technical training for processing as well as expanding our network of much-needed processing and distribution facilities. I will build upon the Intervale’s model of farm incubator programs so that retiring farmers across Vermont can see their land being utilized and young aspiring farmers can learn the trade without taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loans.

I own a small seventh generation dairy farm (Jerseys) and I care about this issue deeply.

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HEALTH CARE:

• What will you do to improve the efficiency of Vermont’s health care system and what will you administration do to help control health care costs?
• How do you plan to improve the Catamount Health plan to make it more accessible, affordable and responsive to Vermonters’ health care needs?

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SUSAN BARTLETT:

If we were starting from scratch we would create a single-payer system that covers everyone. We are not starting from scratch and need to fix the system we have without disrupting the services Vermonters already rely on. The system is broken because costs are rising out of control.

• 40% of health care spending in Vermont is on hospitals. I have introduced a bill where every hospital in the state would be part of a “global budget.” It would create a quasi-single-payer health-care system, where the state acts as a conduit between insurance companies and hospitals. Instead of paying hospitals, insurance companies would pay that money to the state government, which would pay hospitals. A public board would negotiate rates with hospitals. This should create some administrative savings.
• The next step would be to create the same system for doctors.
• Once we control how much we pay, we can determine what we pay for, which will allow us to shift to paying for success and outcomes rather than for the number of visits and procedures. This will save money getting Vermonters the care they need and keeping them healthier.
• Catamount Health is under-subscribed. There is no incentive for people struggling to pay for food and heat to spend even $1-200 a month for subsidized health insurance. No one is turned away from the hospital, so why pay for a doctor visit of insurance when you have a safety net? This is a complicated issue that could be solved with bigger subsidies that we can’t afford, but I am determined to look for solutions
• We need to have our system of FQHC’s (Federally Qualified Health Centers) work as part of our entire health care system.  Senator Sanders has been the champion of these and they will remain an important part of health care for all Vermonters.

MATT DUNNE:

Healthcare costs are driving most of our economic problems in our state.

A majority of bankruptcies, school budget increases, teacher pension fund shortfalls, small business cost increases, and much of the state budget deficit are all driven by the rising cost of healthcare.  

Over the last two decades, Vermont has tried a variety of small changes to solve the looming healthcare crisis. It is now clear that they have failed, and in some cases have made things worse, as we have subsidized more people’s care without effectively addressing the core cost drivers.

The Vermont legislature now faces the challenging decision of whether to cut people from our public programs, slash low-income children off the rolls, cut back on reimbursement to providers thus putting our hospitals in financial jeopardy … all terrible choices.

And yet, if we raise taxes today to cover the deficit caused by ever-spiraling healthcare costs, and do nothing to fix the system, we will find ourselves in exactly the same situation next year.

Here’s what we can do.  First, we can do what large businesses do and self-insure all Vermonters under one system to increase the state’s buying power, reduce administrative costs, and guarantee that everyone pays and everyone is covered.  The fact is that some large companies employ and cover nearly as many people as we have living in Vermont. When I was the head of AmeriCorps*VISTA, we self-insured all 6,000 people working for me and realized a significant cost savings as a result. With a waiver from the federal government, we can achieve the first demonstration project of this kind in the country.

With one large pool, the state will then have the buying power to change the way we reimburse for medical care — rewarding doctors, hospitals, and citizens for prioritizing healthcare activities that lead to health outcomes, rather than paying per procedure. Healthcare innovators like Elliott Fisher and Jack Wennberg have highlighted how spending does not equal healthier people. Hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic have demonstrated that better care can come at dramatically lower cost. We can bring these demonstration projects to scale and implement them at our own hospitals.

But to do this kind of outcomes-based reimbursement and efficient delivery of care, we need to have better information. When I was in the Senate, I proposed adopting an electronic healthcare record system similar to what VA hospitals have been using for years. We successfully created the VITL organization, but unfortunately four years later, and despite financial support from Senator Leahy, the administration has not finished the job. This system would allow hospitals to share information with each other and which would allow us to measure the effectiveness of our healthcare providers, reduce medical errors, and help prevent expensive and unnecessary mistakes.

Now is the time for Vermont to use our scale, our sense of community and our in-state expertise to lead the nation in healthcare reform. However, change will not happen overnight. The legislature must take steps now, like initiating a statewide hospital budget, so we can start to achieve real cost-containment in the near future.

DEB MARKOWITZ:

1. As Governor I will fight for quality, affordable health care for all.  Vermont has been a national leader of health reform, starting with our commitment to making sure that every child has access to health care.  Our Blueprint for Health is a model for other states looking to prevention and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, and our Catamount health program is a first step in making sure that every Vermonter has access to health coverage.  But despite these efforts, health care costs for Vermont families keep rising.  The most frequent cause of individual bankruptcy is the cost of paying for hospitalization and medical costs associated with an accident, illness or disability. I know that unless we can stem the rising cost of health care, it will stand in the way of economic prosperity for Vermont’s working families and our small businesses.

Vermont has a unique opportunity to be a national leader in health care reform once again.  I have asked our congressional delegation to include language in the federal bill to permit Vermont to engage in a pilot project that would allow Vermont to ensure that all of its citizens have access to the doctors, medicines and care they need.  I support a single payer system in which Vermont will self-insure.  This will allow us to control health care costs by changing some of the incentives in our health care system.  If we can ensure doctors are fairly reimbursed for making patients healthy, instead of for how many patients they can see in an hour or how many procedures they can order, costs would go down and quality would go up. We must ensure that our health care dollars are spent on providing every person with access to quality, affordable health care.

2. As Governor, I would take a close look at Catamount Health to see whether there are better ways to provide coverage to uninsured Vermonters while cutting costs.  The way Catamount is currently operating is unsustainable, and the increase in premium is making it unaffordable for many Vermonters.  

DOUG RACINE:

Our national health care system is broken. Costs are escalating at unsustainable rates and more and more people are uninsured or underinsured, particularly in this economy. Families are faced with deciding which bills to pay and how much their loved ones’ health is worth. Employers are faced with skyrocketing premiums for employee plans, and new businesses are unable to provide insurance for their employees. I am not encouraged by the efforts at the federal level because most of what is happening there will not help Vermonters.

Here in Vermont, we can and should do better. We don’t have to wait; we can start reforming our system now. We’ve done a lot, but we’re not where we need to be. Kids have access to health care and Catamount is an improvement for those who qualify for it. I have fought over the years for these improvements, but we must do better – we must demand universal access to quality, affordable health care for all Vermonters. As Governor I will continue working on this issue until we reach that goal. We can design a system here at home to make sure all Vermonters get access to affordable care, and I want to work with the federal government to make that a reality.

As chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, I have started a real conversation about what universal care would look like here in Vermont. This year, my commitment to Vermonters is that we will use the legislative committee process, and we will use the bills that are out there to move this process forward. The public has been welcome to participate every step of the way. It’s not going to be easy, but I know it can be done. Vermont has shown a better way to accomplish a lot of things in public policy over the years. I would like to see us show a better way on health care. I think a better system in this country can start with one state. I think Vermont can be and should be that state.

PETER SHUMLIN:

1. Vermont must lead the country in implementing a health care system that provides universal access that follows the individual instead of being provided by the employer.  The current system that we have in America is going to bankrupt us.  As long as I have been in public service I have supported and sponsored the most aggressive bills that would bring about true health care reform (including S. 88) and as governor, I will work to make it finally happen.  

2. The Catamount Health Care plan is a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.  I have learned the hard way that piecemeal health care reform will not work and is not sustainable.  Right now we are struggling to pay for the Catamount customers that we have enrolled.  Comprehensive health care reform will create jobs and give Vermonters a system that they can afford and that they can believe in.

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EDUCATION:

• Where do you stand on the 2-vote school budgets?
• Tuition, debt and affordability create an insurmountable obstacle to higher education for many Vermonters and an inexcusable hardship for most Vermonters.  What can and will your administration do to lower the financial barriers to higher education and increase Vermonters access to quality higher education?

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SUSAN BARTLETT:

1. If the state had a comprehensive plan for cost containment, we wouldn’t need things like the 2-vote.  Until we have a plan for cost containment we will continue to have things like 2 votes.

2. Here is the truth and folks don’t like it: All states someplace along the line made decisions to fund either K-12 or higher education.   There is no state that funds both well.  

Obviously the Vermont decision was to fund K-12 and we spend at the highest rate in the country; higher education is funded at the lowest rate.  No state can afford to properly fund education K-college.  

I have felt for many years that the Federal government should be the major source of funding for higher education.  Each state should be responsible for getting students ready for what they want to do when they get out of high school.  Then students should have the choice of affordable education no matter what they want, or where they want to go.  That would be in the best interest of our country, not just our Vermont students.

MATT DUNNE:

1. A strong education system is critical to the future of Vermont. As a product of Hartland schools and with my eldest about to enter Kindergarten in the same community, I have a strong commitment to public education in this state. We must not use the problems of healthcare costs and diminishing numbers of students as excuses to undermine our commitment to a world-class education for all Vermonters.  

I adamantly oppose the “2-vote rule” for school budgets.  This legislation does little to address spending, increases spending on elections, and punishes communities that choose to make sacrifices to support their children’s education.

My administration would recommend reducing education costs by doing the following:

· Reducing supervisory unions from 61 to at least 20 and bulk purchasing —  With only 92,000 children in our state, we no longer need this kind of administrative overhead.  Furthermore, the larger districts would allow for better economies of scale that would allow for bulk purchasing of commodity products like heating oil and supplies, shared teachers, enhanced in-school and after-school curriculum delivered via video conference and on-line.

· Increase teacher-assisted distance learning – The cost of video conferencing has gone down significantly and we have the potential to provide a broader diversity of curriculum than ever before, including options that have teachers spending different days in different schools to balance the video instruction.

· Invest in early education to reduce special education costs – With only 15,000 two, three  and four year olds in Vermont, private foundations would be excited to work with us to support a state-wide, multi-year demonstration project to show the effectiveness of early childhood education.  

· Cloud computing and electronic student records – Technology today can provide better tools and lower costs. Outsourced server capacity and basic software is now offered for free, allowing for a reduction in hardware costs and greater capacity to collaborate on documents and calendars among parents, students and teachers. Such connectivity also allows for a statewide student record system to help track actual student performance over time, provide valuable feedback to teachers and school leaders and ensure that students required to switch schools are not set back by a poor transfer of historical information.  

2. Vermont spends the least amount per capita on higher education in the country and has the highest per capital debt.  Beyond generally increasing the state investment in our state colleges and university, my administration will create the Vermont Service Scholarship program that will guarantee that any student who graduates from high school as a Vermonter, attends one of our colleges and universities, and commits to two years of national service will be able to graduate debt free.  Leveraging both the federal education award for individuals who complete national service and the spirit of service in Vermont, this would provide the opportunity to launch a generation of Vermonters to graduate with the benefit of our superb higher education, the experience of service and the freedom from debt. Imagine what a generation free to pursue entrepreneurial dreams would do for our state.

There was an excellent forum on education hosted at UVM.  I encourage everyone to watch the presentations: http://www.mattdunne.com/news/…  Many thanks to VTDigger.org for covering.

DEB MARKOWITZ:

1. Everywhere I go in Vermont I hear concerns about the cost of education and the rising property tax burden.  At the same, time we have seen in the last few years that the vast majority of our communities are passing their school budgets – even with the two vote requirement.  As governor, I will work with our school boards and superintendents to get serious about collaboration, consolidation, where appropriate and cost cutting so that our teachers can focus on making sure that every child receives a quality education.

2. As the mom of three teenagers, I know how expensive a college education can be. It is out of the reach of many working families without debt burdens that make it difficult for our students to succeed after graduation. I would work with our federal delegation to make sure every institution in Vermont has greater resources to participate in Direct Loans. I would also want to look into a process for taking education lending out of the hands of Wall St. It is too important to be a business. Let’s develop a way to leverage government to help families pay for college. It is an investment in our economy and I would be committed to finding the resources to be more innovative about lending and grant options.

I also think government hasn’t collaborated well with academia. We should support efforts to increase research dollars for our universities and we need to do a better job linking our universities with our businesses.  

DOUG RACINE:

I believe that every child in Vermont deserves a quality education. A strong educational system is a fundamental element of any prosperous society. Today, our public schools are strong and we have some of the most creative, forward-thinking programs and educators in the country. While our educators and administrators pour their hearts and talent into our schools for our children, all they hear from the current administration is that they are overstaffed, inefficient, and even wasteful. Even in the midst of the current recession, and facing the budget crisis we do, it is my belief that we cannot scapegoat the education system as the source of our economic woes, and that we must make it a priority to continue to fund the future of our children. For all these reasons, I oppose the two-vote requirement for school budgets.

Improving Vermont’s higher education system starts with increasing the numbers of young Vermonters with a high school diploma and the skills needed to succeed. As Governor, I will continue my focus on helping all families get their children off to a good start with good nutrition, nurturing and an opportunity for a high quality pre-K experience either at home or in another setting.

From there we need to be certain that all children have opportunities to succeed in school.  Just as many students need access to courses that challenge them to excel at very high levels, many other children need help to overcome the challenges of poverty. My goal will to work as a partner with our educators to be sure that all children graduate and that we do this in the most cost effective way possible.

As Governor I will seek to increase the chances that low-income Vermonters have for a higher education. Private institutions, the state college system and the University of Vermont provide a diverse range of higher education in Vermont. At the same time, too few Vermonters have access to this system, and it is far too costly for those who do, saddling our graduates with an unmanageable level of debt.  

I will work with our state colleges and the University of Vermont to increase their scholarship programs for Vermont high-school students to provide an incentive for those students to excel. By providing students with the prospect of an affordable higher education, we will see our graduation rates rise.  

Our state college system, and particularly the growing emphasis on training for the “green” economy, must be supported and expanded. Vermont Technical College has been particularly successful in beginning to train our young people for the wide range of jobs in the emerging green economy, from green design to manufacturing to renewable energy delivery. As Governor I will support and expand that approach through the development of satellite campuses throughout the state to make attendance at our state colleges easier for all Vermonters. Vermont should seek to lead the nation in the per capita number of graduates from its states colleges going to work in the emerging green sector.  If at the same time our economic development efforts continue to attract these industries, we can employ these graduates here at home and make Vermont the silicon valley of the green economy. There is a significant opportunity here, and it begins with a coordinated effort with our higher education institutions.  

PETER SHUMLIN:

1. I supported the 2-vote during the 2007 session and that was a mistake. I have made thousands of judgments during my 17 years in the legislature, and this is one that I regret.

2. Every politician from every party always promises to lower the cost of higher education in a state where we all know our students and their families struggle to pay the bill.  Jim Douglas made paying lip service to this problem one of the signature issues of his administration and Brian Dubie will likely do the same.  While I join the bipartisan goal of wishing to solve this problem, in tough fiscal times, politicians need to be honest and stop making promises they can’t keep.  Vermont is in a fiscal crisis and promising tens of millions of dollars for higher education paid for by our taxpayers when our most vulnerable citizens are at risk seems disingenuous at best.