REGISTER BEFORE DEADLINE 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 about 2pm that day.
Please RSVP soon so that we can better plan for how many members to expect.
Next Week: Final Two Voucher Bills Have their Public Hearings – Sign in to OPPOSE!
The second half of the legislative session is now fully underway with CROSSOVER (the deadline for the House and Senate to exchange bills with the chamber that legislation originated) now behind us. We are down to the latter half of the session but with each bill that has passed the House or Senate the stakes are even higher now because legislation (good and bad) is that much closer to reaching the Governor’s desk.
We are now down to our last two private school voucher expansion bills and we need your help because the hearings for both are this coming Tuesday:
SB 442 – Senate Republicans passed this amended version of a 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. SB 442 could bring the amount of public dollars diverted to private schools to $53 million dollars per year!
Instead of diverting more money to the private school voucher scheme, we need the state to fulfill its obligation to fund the approximately 90% of New Hampshire students who attend public schools! The public hearing on SB 442 in the House Education Committee is being held on Tuesday, April 16th at 11:00am. Please sign in now to OPPOSE SB 442, which would expand New Hampshire’s unaccountable voucher program! Find full sign in instructions below; keep in mind while this is a Senate Bill it is now in the House, which is why we are using the House sign-in form.
HB 1665 – This bill squeaked through the House by one vote and is now in the possession of the Senate Education Committee. This bill would be an even more dramatic expansion of private school vouchers by expanding eligibility to enter the program from 350% of the Federal Poverty Level to 500% (or $156k per year for a family of four). This bill would bring the state a long way toward universal voucher eligibility and the fiscal debacles with public education that states like Florida and Arizona are in right now. For New Hampshire, this could mean as much as $66 million a year diverted from public education. Please sign in to OPPOSE HB 1665, which would be an enormous private school voucher expansion! Find full sign in instructions below; keep in mind while this is a House bill, it is now in the Senate which is why you use the Senate sign-in form.
Re-Cap from This Week at the State House: Senate Book Ban Bill Stopped; Extreme Classroom Temperature Bill Hits Roadblock; Gun Free Schools Bill Fails; House Rejects Effort to Feed Kids
SB 523 – While the Senate passed a book ban bill last week, SB 523 could not be introduced in the House of Representatives without a 2/3 majority because the House book ban bill was “Indefinitely Postponed.” When brought up for a vote to introduce this bill in the House it failed to even garner a majority vote which means we are done with book ban legislation this year!
SB 526 – Unfortunately, the House Education Committee unanimously recommended the rejection of legislation to help address extreme temperatures in classrooms. We know this will continue to be an issue deeper into the school year and without adequate building aid it will be tougher for school districts to do new or major construction. Other states have had to continue to work at setting these sorts of standards over multiple sessions, so we hope to bring forward a newer version of this legislation next year. Thank you to those members who got it this far through the process.
SB 593 – Sadly, on a party line vote, Senate Republicans rejected establishing a state gun free school zones law. SB 593 would have prohibited individuals from walking into a school with a firearm. The federal Gun Free Schools Act prohibits students from bringing firearms into schools, and the Gun Free Schools Zone Act prohibits all other persons from bringing firearms within 1,000 feet of school property unless they are licensed by the state to carry a firearm. While federal law establishes gun free school zones with qualifications, gaps in state law and a statement from the Attorney General’s office has left school districts and police departments in murky water on enforcement and jeopardizes safe spaces for our children to learn and grow. This is further complicated by HB 1178, which Gov. Sununu signed into law in summer of 2022, that seeks to prevent local and state law enforcement and school officials from acting swiftly in response to the presence of firearms in our K-12 schools. We want to thank Senator Donovan Fenton who sponsored this bill and all the estate senators who supported keeping our students and educators safe. We will keep pressing for sensible gun violence prevention legislation in our state.
HB 1212 – In a disappointing turn of events, the House tabled HB 1212 – legislation championed by the late Representative Art Ellison that would have provided free lunches to students from households earning up to 350 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $105,000 for a family of four. The vote was so close that Speaker of the House Sherm Packard broke the tie, casting the final vote to defeat this commonsense legislation. Click here to read more about the bill and Rep. Ellison’s legacy.
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.
- 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!
- While the public hearings are complete, the work continues on these rules. You can make your voice heard by submitting written comment to Julie.r.shea@doe.nh.gov by April 30th. Need inspiration? Read NEA-NH member Greg Leonard’s testimony!
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.
Need help signing in on legislation? Follow these comprehensive instructions (details for public hearings are contained in each action request).
For House hearings:
1. Visit this link: House of Representatives – Online Testimony Submission
2. Enter your personal information
3. Select the hearing date
4. Select the committee
5. Choose the bill
6. I am – A member of the public
7. Choose who you are representing – Myself
8. Indicate your position on this bill
9. Upload remote testimony (Optional)
10. Review information and click submit
For Senate hearings:
1. Go to https://bit.ly/3S4Cof1 and click the date that the bill you are interested in is being heard
2. Select the committee that is hearing the bill
3. Select the bill you are interested in
4. Select a category – Member of the Public
5. Indicate your position on this bill
6. Click continue
7. Enter your name and contact information
8. Click continue
9. Carefully review the information to ensure it is entered correctly. If it is correct, check the box and click continue.