My experiences as a soldier, educator, trainer, farmer, employer, and legislator have taught me that education should not be viewed as an end in itself. Education should be a pathway to opportunity — one that helps young people become productive citizens, skilled workers, informed voters, community leaders, and lifelong learners.
What Education Means to Me
Throughout my life, I have viewed education through the lens of preparedness, responsibility, leadership, and service. Whether in the classroom, the workplace, the military, or our communities, education should equip people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to meet life’s challenges and opportunities.
Most importantly, it should prepare them to succeed in whatever path they choose for their future.
That belief has guided my work both inside and outside the Vermont Senate.
My Approach to Education
Education has been a significant part of my life and professional career for more than four decades. While many people know me as a Vermont State Senator, farmer, former Deputy Game Warden, and military veteran, fewer realize that much of my military service focused on education, training, leadership development, and helping others pursue higher education opportunities.
My perspective on education was shaped long before I joined the Senate Education Committee.
From 1984 to 1986, I served as a full-time Federal Civil Service employee and Battalion Training Officer in the Vermont Army National Guard right here in Rutland. During that period, I was assigned the additional duty of Battalion Education Officer at a time when the Army was undergoing a Reduction in Force (RIF).
Educational requirements for promotion, retention, and leadership positions were increasing for both officers and enlisted personnel. At the same time, our battalion was experiencing recruiting and retention challenges. We faced a difficult reality: if our soldiers and leaders could not meet the new educational requirements, we would lose many experienced and talented people.
Working with the Vermont National Guard Education Office, colleges, and VSAC, I helped develop pathways that allowed soldiers to receive academic credit for military training and experience while continuing their education. Our goal was to help service members advance their careers, obtain degrees, improve retention, and prepare for life after military service.
I was also a beneficiary of the system we helped build.
Like many Vermont citizen-soldiers, I balanced military service, employment, family responsibilities, and education. Those experiences taught me that education works best when people can see a clear connection between learning and opportunity.
Later in my military career, I served as Training Division Chief at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, and was assigned to the Vermont Army National Guard Regional Training Institute. During my deployment to Afghanistan, I trained Afghan officers and soldiers in U.S. military doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Those experiences reinforced my belief that effective education does more than transfer knowledge. It develops competence, confidence, leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that prepare people to succeed in life.
Today, that same philosophy guides my work on the Senate Education Committee.
My Work on the Senate Education Committee
Career & Technical Education
I have consistently advocated for expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities and strengthening the connection between education and workforce development.
I believe students should graduate with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities necessary to succeed whether they choose college, military service, apprenticeships, skilled trades, or direct entry into the workforce.
Literacy & Reading Proficiency
I have supported efforts to improve reading proficiency and early literacy development.
Reading is the foundation of all learning. Students who cannot read proficiently face challenges throughout their educational careers and beyond. I support evidence-based approaches that help students achieve reading success at an early age.
Student Safety & School Climate
I have worked on issues involving student safety, human rights protections, and Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying (HHB) policies.
Every student deserves a safe learning environment where they can focus on learning and personal growth.
Libraries & Educational Resources
I have supported school and community libraries as essential educational resources, particularly in rural communities where access to information and educational opportunities may be limited.
Libraries remain critical to literacy, research, lifelong learning, and community engagement.
Technology in Education
I have raised concerns about the increasing reliance on electronic devices in schools and whether their use is improving educational outcomes.
Technology can be a valuable tool, but it should support — not replace — effective instruction, literacy development, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication.
I believe we should continually evaluate whether technology is helping students meet Vermont’s Educational Quality Standards and preparing them for success in the real world.
Educational Accountability
Throughout my service, I have consistently asked a simple question: Are we achieving better outcomes for Vermont students?
Educational success should be measured not only by spending levels and program implementation, but by student achievement, workforce readiness, literacy, graduation outcomes, and preparation for life after high school.