Dear Editor, The challenges facing Vermont voters who believe in the value of public education are many. Vermont has many small, remote schools, and the population of school-age children and tax-paying parents is decreasing. The burden from income tax, sales tax and property tax hits everyone ha rd. But the education problem is also a housing and healthcare problem. Housing is scarce and expensive, and health insurance premiums are among the highest in the country. There are no easy or quick solutions to these problems. Consolidation of schools and school districts is an uncertain route to savings, with a poor track record in Vermont and elsewhere.  Many government agencies and nonprofit groups are working to provide affordable housing in Vermont. The state has tried to contain healthcare costs, but this is a national problem that has so far defied local solutions. School boards are aware of these problems, which affect the cost of providing a good education to our children. We at the Kingdom East School District, serving parts of Caledonia and Essex counties, have produced a lean budget that, for most towns in our district, will mean minimal or no rises in the education portion of the property tax.  Building and maintaining a good rural public school system requires creativity, close attention to reality, and hard work. Angry tantrums do not advance this cause. Responsible citizens look at the facts, even the difficult ones, and try to come up with solutions that may be imperfect but keep our rural schools open and our towns alive. READ MORE I urge voters in the Kingdom East School District and elsewhere to approve the budgets presented to them. Desmond BrownLunenburg, Vt. Read the story on VTDigger here: Facing hard truths is the only way to save Vermont’s rural schools. ...read more read less