Categories
Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Gov. Phil Scott unveils his budget and met with mixed reaction [Video]

On Tuesday afternoon Gov. Phil Scott unveiled his fiscal year 2025 budget. Scott said were now back to pre-pandemic times where spending has to be more sustainable which is why his budget only increases roughly 2% to $8.6 billion.The general fund had a roughly 3.5% growth rate to $2.3 billion, the education rose to $2.4 billion, and transportation fund sits at $353 million. Key items this year are building more housing, improving public safety, and the opioid crisis, along with making Vermont more affordable. Scott called for millions of dollars of new investments into housing programs like VHIP to ease the housing shortage, and wants to give the judicial branch more money to reduce the backlog of pending criminal cases.However, the elephant in the room was the estimated 17%-19% property tax increase to pay for public schools over the next year. Scott wants lawmakers to look at potentially consolidating schools and said he is open to working with majority democrats.His administration says it would cost over $200,000 million to buy it down and not a feasible option. He also re-pitched other ideas he’s brought up in recent biennium’s. “From rightsizing schools and classrooms, to better addressing healthcare and retirement costs to property tax caps and adjustments, or more. Maybe we need to revisit and undo some of the things we have done that added to school pressures.” said Scott. However, Democratic leadership wanted a more tangible plan. “He didnt offer any solutions on the December 1stletter of the 18% potential tax increase and we were listening for that and didnt hear it. If your governor you have the ability to address only what you want and he talked a lot about fixing problems rather then funding them when he didnt want to spend money,” said Sen. Phil Baruth, the President Pro Tem of the senate. Scott said over and over he wants to work with the legislature but admitted democrats hold a supermajority in the house and senate and said he knows they may ignore his wishes. Scott also appealed to what he called the middle majority in the house and senate asking them to work with him on a spending plan Vermonters can afford.The legislature will begin crafting their budget this week.

Categories
Places To Donate

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel raises fund to end hunger with sale of “Whale Tails” socks [Video]

PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID SPREADING THE ILLNESS. TODAY — LENNY’S SHOES…MAKING A WHALE-SIZED DONATION TO HELP END HUNGER IN OUR REGION. THESE WHALES TAILS SOCKS WERE SOLD EXCLUSIVELY AT LENNY’S IN OCTOBER… TWO DOLLARS FROM EVERY PAIR SOLD WENT TOWARDS ENDING HUNGER. THE SHOE AND APPAREL STORE, RAISING MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS, FOR THE VERMONT FOODBANK AND THE J-C-E-O PLATTSBURGH FOOD SHELF… AFTER COLLABORATING WITH DARN TOUGH — FOR THE SEVENTH YEAR IN A ROW.