ACTION REQUESTED: Sign in to OPPOSE four voucher expansion bills being heard on Wednesday, January 17th in the House Education Committee. Please note, comprehensive instructions on how to sign in can be found at the bottom of this email.
There are several bills being heard in the House Education Committee next week that would expand eligibility for the private school voucher system so that anyone could qualify for the program regardless of their income either because the income qualification requirement is eliminated or because the categories created in the bill are so broad that it is effectively a universal voucher program.
The fiscal consequences alone for expanding vouchers would be dire for our public schools and our students. For example, in Arizona – where they quickly expanded their voucher program to be universal – their vouchers are on track to cost over $900 million in their second year. That figure is 1,400% higher than projected. Like our own program here in New Hampshire, these vouchers are primarily being used by families who previously chose private school and is all new spending. The Arizona universal voucher program is also primarily benefiting more affluent families in wealthier zip codes. This should serve as a cautionary tale for us here in New Hampshire. Their program put the state in a massive deficit that leaves the state and local school districts few options but to cut funding or raise local property taxes.
Opening this unaccountable program to wealthy families is the opposite direction we need to go in. Instead of sending taxpayer money to private schools we should focus on public schools – where nearly 90% of our children attend – not take money away from them. We need to reduce class sizes and give our students more one-on-one attention and increase salaries to address the teacher and staff shortages.
Voucher expansion bill details here:
- HB 1634 – would simply remove any income qualification making vouchers available to any child who is eligible to go to public school, even if their parents are millionaires and the student already attends private school.
- HB 1677 – extends eligibility for the voucher program to students who participated in the program in the preceding year, students whose enrollment transfer requests were denied, and to students in school districts which performed at 49 percent or below in statewide assessments. The vague language of the various categories of this bill could effectively open the program to anyone. These categories also hold no income limit.
- HB 1561 – expands the definition of who can qualify for vouchers to such broad categories of students that it is also effectively a universal voucher program. One allowed category states anyone “who is concerned that attending school could lead to the spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19, the common cold, the seasonal Flu, pneumonia, or other similar diseases” qualifies with no income limit. No joke.
- HB 1665 – raises the income eligibility from 350% of the federal poverty level to 500%, which for a family of four is $150,000 per year. This would also be a significant expansion of the program.
To sign in to OPPOSE these House bills:
1. Click here: House of Representatives – Online Testimony Submission
2. Enter your personal information
3. Select the hearing date – January 17
4. Select the committee – House Education Committee
5. Choose the bill – HB 1634
6. I am – A member of the public
7. Choose who you are representing – Myself
8. Indicate your position on this bill – OPPOSE
9. Upload remote testimony (Optional)
10. Review information and click submit
11. Repeat steps 1-10 for HB 1677, HB 1561, and HB 1665