Monthly Archives: December 2020

Legislative Update – The New Legislature Taking Shape

Speaker of NH House – In the wake of the death of NH Speaker Dick Hinch, there will need to be a new election for Speaker when the House meets on January 6th. On December 18, the House Republicans held a virtual caucus and will be nominating the acting Speaker Sherm Packard for that post making him the likely next speaker. Here is what we know for committee assignments which are important to track as we work to make our voices heard on our issues: Senate Committee assignments – The state Senate has released its full committee assignments you can […]

NEA-NH Urges Charters Be Held to the Same Standards as all Other Taxpayer-Funded Schools

Today, the Commissioner and Legislature have agreed to cash Betsy DeVos’ check to double the number of charter schools in New Hampshire.  Her check provides for the start-up costs for these new schools, but does not pay to operate or maintain them – the taxpayers of New Hampshire will be responsible for those costs. Charter schools, by their very nature, drain funding from local public schools, which enroll over 90 percent of K-12 students. We believe since charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools, they MUST be held to the same safeguards and high standards of accountability, transparency, oversight and equity as […]

Important Tax Preparation Information for Members Who Itemize

The Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993 eliminated the individual federal income tax deduction for lobbying expenses paid or incurred as part of membership dues. This affects only those members who itemize deductions and meet the two-percent minimum requirement for additional miscellaneous deductions. Those members will not be able to deduct that portion of the NEA–NH 2019-20 union dues attributable to lobbying. The non-deductible portion of the dues for 2019-2020 is 7.36% or $34.38 for a full-time professional membership.

Where Are Educators in the Line for Vaccines?

With several COVID-19 vaccines being fast-tracked for approval, vaccines may be available sometime this month. “Every single student, educator, and parent in America has spent the past 10 months in a state of anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic and what it’s done to our school communities,” said Becky Pringle, NEA President. “There is no replacement for the in-person connection between our students and their educators. With promises of a vaccine on the horizon, we have a new opportunity to return to an in-person education where every student can thrive – but only if vaccination campaigns are done safely and equitably. […]

Legislative Preview: What We Face in 2021

This week, the state legislature that convened on December 2 will look very different from the last 2 years – which means the legislative landscape changes dramatically. Republicans now hold a 14-10 majority in the state senate, a 213-187 majority in the state house and will hold a 4-1 majority when the new Executive Council is installed in January along with Governor Sununu. With the change in party control, we expect to see a very different policy agenda pushed by the new majority for the upcoming year, but some of the same challenges we all knew would be before us […]

A headshot of Megan Tuttle

President’s Letter: Through adversity, our strength shines

If you’re like me, you’re eager to see 2020 fade into the past and move on to 2021. Enough already. But for all the pain, disruption, and chaos it brought, 2020 also provided us greater insight into some of our un-celebrated strengths. Through countless examples of sacrifice and service above and beyond the incredible job you have done in the past, this year proved once again just how dedicated and caring our members truly are. Throughout the pandemic, as difficult as it was, we kept the focus on students. You have made it clear once again that our students are […]