There is no sugar coating it. The election results present challenges for educators and the future of public education. But our values don’t change based on elections. As NEA President Becky Pringle recently said, unions exist for moments like this. Today and every day we are present for our students and ready for the work ahead. Remember, we are stronger together.
Control of Congress: US Senate Flips to Republican Control; House Still to be Determined
The Presidential election results are obviously well known by everyone at this point. In the US Senate the only remaining question is how much of a majority the Republicans will have achieved. As of the writing of this update, the only uncalled races are in Arizona and Nevada, with Republicans currently having 53 seats in the US Senate. The US House is still up in the air with 25 races still to be called.
State Level Results: Republicans Maintain Stronger Control on Trifecta
At the state level, Kelly Ayotte has won the gubernatorial election. She will retain the current partisan majority on the executive council and go into 2025 with stronger majorities in the state senate and house.
Executive Council: 4(R) – 1 (D) – no change
State Senate: 16 (R) – 8 (D) – Net gain of 2 for Republicans
State House: 222 (R) – 178 (D) – This is pending several recounts to take place next week.
Bright Spots: NEA-NH Members Elected and Re-Elected to the NH House!
Pending recounts we know at least 14 NEA-NH members were re-elected or elected to the NH House for the first time.
Thank you to all those who ran and continue to be dedicated to public service, even after your time in the classroom.
What do these results mean for NEA-NH Members next year?
Federal Level
We will be hosting upcoming information sessions once we know more about how things take shape at the federal level with Congress. But, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, fear around the new administration attempting to carry out elements of Project 2025 and its blueprint to devastate public education, becomes very real for all of us. Eight years ago, Betsy DeVos was a disaster for public education and educators, and she has expressed interest in returning to that post.
Expected State Level Agenda
As we talked about in the last edition of the Educator, we expect the incoming legislative majorities to prioritize what they stated on the campaign trail and were unable to accomplish over the past few years. Some of these education policy items include:
- Expanding the voucher program significantly, possibly to a universal voucher system with no income limits to qualify
- Passing a so-called “parental bill of rights”
- Passing a book ban
- Passing legislation that further erodes educator professional standards
- Granting subpoena power for the commissioner of education
- Passing anti-union legislation like so-called “right-to-work-legislation”
Governor-Elect Ayotte
Governor-elect Kelly Ayotte has stated her support for universal vouchers and some kind of parental rights and curriculum legislation. Right off the bat, her first significant stamp on public education comes with the opportunity to appoint two State Board of Education members and the Commissioner of Education. Will Governor-Elect Ayotte reappoint incumbent Commissioner Frank Edelblut? Further, in February, Governor-elect Ayotte will also have to present the legislature with her biennial budget proposal which will outline her priorities across state government including at what level the State supports its local public schools and whether we divert more public dollars toward a second private voucher program.
What Comes Next for Our Work?
The next step at the state level will be when the Legislature will organize and formally elect a Senate President, House Speaker, Secretary of State and Treasurer on Wednesday, December 4th. Around that same time, we expect to know committee chairs and assignments.
As we formalize our agenda and plans for engaging with the new Governor and Legislature, we know we will have to continue to prioritize protecting public education, your right to have a voice at work, and continue to work toward solving the educator workforce crisis we face in our state.
Please look out for upcoming virtual meetings to be scheduled soon, and for materials and resources you can share within your local associations to be prepared for the coming year.
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.