Last Week: Republicans Push Culture War and Voucher Expansion Bills Through Senate
Last week’s Senate Session was loaded up with a barrage of bills that target LGBTQ+ students in various ways and expands the private school voucher scheme.
Here is the rundown:
- SB 341 – The Senate Passed SB 341 on a 13 – 10 party line vote. This is the bill that turns educators into student surveillance drones with an eye toward outing LGBTQ+ students. The bill goes against having strong relationships between parents, educators, and students. The bill will now head to the New Hampshire House.
- SB 375 – On a 14-10 party line vote, the Senate passed this bill that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports in grades 5 through 12.
- SB 422 – Senate Republicans also passed an amended version of their private school voucher expansion scheme. The bill was moderated slightly, but still expands the eligibility for students to receive a voucher from 350% of the Federal Poverty Level to 400% (or $125k for a family of four). Estimates are that this bill could divert as much as an additional $30 million dollars available for local schools to this unaccountable private school voucher program that is already over budget. The bill now heads over to the House. The Senate is also in possession of HB 1665 which increases eligibility up to 500% of FPL (or $150,000 per year for a family of four).
- SB 523 – The Senate also passed their own book ban bill. SB 523 as amended is filled with undefined and subjective terms, allowing for individuals to challenge any material provided by a school district employee across the state without a clear standard. This mixture would lead to the ability of those with a political agenda to weaponize such a law and potentially create liability for classroom educators and librarians. The bill now heads to the New Hampshire House which had previously defeated their own book ban legislation that had originated in that chamber.
House Education Committee Scheduled to Vote on Important NEA-NH Legislation: Classroom Temperature Control and Loan Repayment Bill
SB 526 – It’s Getting Hot (or cold) in Here! – Tell House Ed Committee to Pass Temperature Control Bill!
This week, the House Education Committee is scheduled to vote on SB 526, which 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 79 degrees Fahrenheit during cooling months, to the maximum extent practical. The plan would also have to include procedures for closing classrooms when temperatures are below 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thank you to the members who signed in to support this bill and wrote in your own personal stories about educators and students dealing with extreme temperatures in your schools and classrooms. The House Education committee is holding both a work session and a vote on Wednesday, April 10th so if you have not had a chance to write in a story about your own experience or simply ask them to support the bill, please do so NOW by e-mailing members of the House Education Committee directly.
SB 217 – Support Educators in Rural and Underserved Areas
SB 217 would establish a loan repayment program for educators in rural and underserved areas to help early career educators with student debt. We hope bi-partisan support will help to continue the progress on this bill as the committee works on it, so we add a program like this to one of several proactive initiatives NEA-NH has established to help strengthen the educator pipeline in New Hampshire. Please e-mail members of the House Education Committee directly and ask them to help address the educator shortage by passing SB 217!
306 Rules: What are They and How Can NEA-NH Members Get Involved in Efforts to Protect Strong School Standards?
As you may know, the State of New Hampshire is currently engaged in a process to revise the state’s “Minimum Standards for Public School Approval” – also known as the “306 Rules” – that has the potential to impact every facet of education for educators and students. In addition to state laws, the 306 Rules articulate what New Hampshire public schools must do to be an approved school. These minimum standards for public education exist to ensure that no matter where a student lives, they receive consistent access to quality education.
At every opportunity, NEA-New Hampshire has voiced our concerns about the 306 Rule revision and raised educator voices. If you haven’t already, now is the time to join NEA-New Hampshire’s efforts to protect strong school standards in New Hampshire.
- Attend the second State Board of Education Public Hearings on the 306 Rules revision proposal. The first hearing is behind held on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 1pm at the NH DOE building – 25 Hall Street, Concord. RSVP to Brian.
- Sign the petition to join NEA-New Hampshire in calling on the State Board of Education to listen to educator concerns about protecting strong standards for public schools!
Registration is OPEN for NEA-NH STATE HOUSE DAY: Tuesday, April 23rd!
For the second year in a row, NEA-NH will be hosting a State House Visit Day during the April break week for most schools in New Hampshire. This year, the day will feature an opportunity to interact with legislators and an extra special tour for educators of our historic New Hampshire State House. We anticipate the day going from 9:30am until early afternoon that day.
Please RSVP soon so that we can better plan for how many members to expect.
Questions?
If you have questions on any of these bills or ones not mentioned here, please feel free to contact Brian Hawkins, NEA-NH Director of Government Relations at bhawkins@nhnea.org. You can also follow all the bills we are watching next week and check on a bill’s status by visiting our NEA-NH bill tracker.