Community stewards
Pole dance
College program helps restore rainforest
State readies trophy trout stocking
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April 4, 2024
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Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
thecitizenvt.com
School of learning Teachers, staff press for a ‘yes’ budget vote COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
Parents and students heading to or from school this past week may have been greeted by sign-waving teachers, advocating for themselves before their workdays began. Through these pop-up rallies, nicknamed “visibility events,” teachers, staff members and board members in the Champlain Valley School District have been making a point the past two weeks to advocate and raise awareness for an April 16 budget looming for the district.
Its consequences could be critical for many staff members and the programs they help run within schools throughout Hinesburg, Charlotte, Shelburne and Williston, and for the overall education of students throughout the area. “What we’re concerned about as employees is voting down the budget will just result in more reductions to positions and programs,” said Emily McLean, a teacher at the Champlain Valley Union High School, and the head of the Champlain Valley EducaSee BUDGET on page 10
Hinesburg begins work on its new town plan COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
Reading through a recent “community vision” survey that was opened to Hinesburg residents earlier this year, it’s clear there’s a lot on folks’ minds. Managing planned growth and development, providing affordable and adequate housing and conserving forest and agricultural land all ranked highest out of about a dozen various issues community members felt were the most important challenges facing Hinesburg over the next
five to 10 years. “Thank you for asking the questions. These are challenging times in our community,” one survey respondent commented. “I hope I can afford to live here into the future.” More than 500 people, or a little more than 11 percent of the town’s population, responded to the town’s survey, first opened in January. It was the first step in what should be a year-long process to write a new town plan COURTESY PHOTO
Hinesburg Community School co-principal Tim Trevithick dons a pair of oversized sunglasses to lead a reluctant “learner” into school.
See HINESBURG on page 10
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