Monthly Archives: February 2024

February 23: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Good News – Senate Passes Bill to Help Address Extreme School Temperatures  Thank you to the members who came to testify or wrote to lawmakers about how students struggle to learn, and educators can’t teach effectively when temperatures are too extreme in the classroom. With your advocacy, the Senate passed SB 526 on a bipartisan voice vote!   SB 526 as amended would require school districts to develop and implement a classroom temperature control plan.  The plan is required to include procedures to maintain classrooms temperatures between 68 degrees and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during heating months and between 72 degrees and […]

Signs held at the NH Legislative Office Building read "Right to Work" is WRONG for NH

February 17: NEA-NH Legislative Update

House Labor Committee Sends So-called “Right-to-Work” to House Floor Next Week  The House Labor committee is finally sending HB 1377, so-called “right to work” legislation, to the House floor next week and as expected it did so on a 10 – 10 party-line tie. This anti-worker effort is still an attack on collective bargaining and an attempt to weaken unions. For decades NEA-NH has fought against this legislation because it is the centerpiece of an agenda to maximize corporate profits by passing laws that weaken basic worker protections, undo safety standards, keep wages low, and undermine the ability of labor […]

PRESS RELEASE: NH House Rejects Two Education Voucher Expansion Bills 

CONCORD, NH – One week after voting to expand income eligibility for education vouchers, the New Hampshire House of Representatives cast bipartisan votes to reject two bills that would even more dramatically expand this unaccountable program.   Earlier this month, the House passed HB 1665 by just one vote. That bill, which will next be considered by the state Senate, would raise the income eligiblity from 350% of the federal poverty level to 500%, which for a family of four is $150,000 per year.  Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the vote:  “While we remain concerned […]

A white sign held in front of the Legislative Office Building reads: Support Our Public Schools"
A white sign held in front of the Legislative Office Building reads: Support Our Public Schools"

February 9 NEA-NH Legislative Update

Universal Voucher Bills Go Down, but Expansion to Voucher Eligibility Squeeks Through by One Vote!  The New Hampshire House of Representatives cast a series of mixed votes on three bills that would expand education voucher eligibility in our state, diverting more public money toward private and at home education costs. Thank you to all the members who e-mailed or called their state representatives. All these votes were close, and we stopped the very worst bills from passing.   Two More Voucher Expansion Bills to Be Voted on in the House Next Week!  The last two additional voucher expansion bills are scheduled […]

NH House Votes to Expand Education Voucher Eligibility to 500% of Federal Poverty Level, Rejects Universal Vouchers

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire House of Representatives cast a series of mixed votes on three bills that would expand education voucher eligibility in our state.   Two additional voucher expansion bills still await a full vote in the New Hampshire House after deadlocking in Committee, 10-10. HB 1652 would create the ability for a school district to adopt a local school district voucher program. 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 […]

A photo of the New Hampshire State House dome.

New Hampshire Senate Votes Again to Establish a Rural and Underserved Area Educator Incentive Program for Higher Education; Amendment Funds at $1 

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire Senate voted “Ought to Pass as Amended” on SB 217-FN on a voice vote. While the bill as filed set aside $3 million over two years to create and fund a student loan forgiveness program for educators who work in rural and underserved areas, as amended, this bill sets aside $1. The bill next goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.  Student debt assistance is one recommendation contained in a recent legislative report that identified contributing factors to New Hampshire’s teacher shortage and outlined findings to address the crisis.   Megan Tuttle, […]