Senate Passes Vague Curriculum Notice Expansion Bill, Punts Part-Time Unlicensed Teacher Bill and Voucher Expansion to Next Week
The New Hampshire Senate special ordered two of the most consequential bills remaining this session to their calendar next week. Both HB 1298, the unlicensed part-time teach bill, and HB 1665, the last voucher expansion bill, will be voted on by the full Senate on Thursday, May 23rd which is the Senate deadline for acting on all House bills. This means that if you haven’t contacted your Senator using our take action tool on HB 1298 or HB 1665 there is still time!
Unfortunately, the Senate did pass HB 1312 would essentially codify a recent NH Department of Education interpretation of the 2-week notice to parents around objectionable material which is an unworkable standard that would leave educators wondering what course material could apply to the notice requirements that traditionally had been focused on sex education and health classes. For example, if there is a book or math worksheet that contains any kind of scenario mentioning someone’s gender or orientation, does it then fall into a 2-week notice requirement? The bill also contains more vague language that is like other so-called parental rights legislation that puts educators in impossible positions in determining which actions or conversations could put them or a student in jeopardy when they are only trying to be a trusted adult at school.
The next step for this bill is the Governor’s desk – once it is delivered to him, he will have 5 days to sign or veto the bill, or it will become law without his signature. You can contact Governor Sununu and urge him to veto HB 1312 by calling 603-271-2121.
HB 1298: Part-Time Unlicensed Teacher Bill – Tell Your Senator Not to Water Down Standards!
This bill is being advocated for by Commissioner Edelblut as part of his effort to water down the standards for teaching. As a refresher, as amended, this bill would create a “Part-Time Teacher” who can teach in public schools provided they work less than 30 hours a week, pass a criminal history record check, and are subject to the educator code of conduct. There is no time limit to this status or requirement for a path to certification, traditional or alternative, where a teacher could receive feedback, support, or professional development.
HB 1665: Final Private School Voucher Expansion Bill Slated for Full Senate Vote
As amended by the Senate Education Committee, HB 1665 would expand eligibility to enter the program for the second time in less than a year from 350% to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level, or around $124,800 for a family of four. For the state of New Hampshire, this could mean as much as an additional $66 million in public funds diverted from public education annually.
HB 1665 is now the last remaining voucher expansion bill in the legislature this year. If you haven’t already, it is so critical you act now and urge your email your state senator to reject expanding the runaway voucher program!
If you have already used our action form, take the next step by calling your lawmaker to urge them to reject voucher expansion. You can find your state senator’s phone number here.
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.