New Hampshire cannot afford to expand unaccountable school vouchers to wealthy families at the expense of real needs in our state
CONCORD, NH – Today, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law SB 295, which expands unaccountable school vouchers to the wealthiest families in the state. Ayotte also signed into law HB 10, a so-called parental bill of rights that in reality targets educators and LGBTQ+ students and puts children at risk of abuse or harm.
Public education and LGBTQ+ rights advocates, school leaders, and public school parents condemned the bill signings with the following statements:
Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-NH, said: “Granite Staters overwhelmingly support their community public schools, which are attended by nearly 90% of students and 95% of students with a disability. It is incredibly discouraging that, instead of working to ensure every child has access to a safe and welcoming learning environment – and that schools are resourced based on students’ needs instead of local pocketbooks – anti-public education politicians are pushing culture war bills that undermine public education and scapegoat educators. Today, Governor Ayotte is signing her name to that agenda.”
Deb Howes, President of AFT-NH, said: “This is a major loss for the 165,000 Granite State public school students, their families and local property tax payers. Each and every Granite State student has the constitutional right to a robust public education and the State has the responsibility to fund it without disproportionately burdening local property taxpayers. The school voucher scheme takes away badly needed resources from achieving that goal. AFT-NH thanks the members of the legislature who listened to their constituents and voted against this runaway school voucher program. We condemn the decision by Gov. Ayotte and other lawmakers to expand school vouchers to the wealthy at the expense of other state and local priorities.”
Linds Jakows, Co-Founder, 603 Equality, said: “Of course parents should have rights, and they have many already existing in law. But that doesn’t mean that teachers should be forced to “out” a gay or trans student to an abusive family, or that teachers should be prevented from acting to support a student who says they’re being sexually abused at home. If Governor Ayotte sincerely believes that parents have rights to direct their child’s medical care, she will veto HB 377 and HB 712, which allow politicians to ban decisions doctors, patients, and families have made when it comes to medical care for a gender transition.”
Christina Pretorius, Education Justice Campaign Director, Engage NH, and public school parent, said: “Today, Governor Ayotte wrote a blank check to the wealthiest families in the state so that they can get taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition, ski passes, and more. School voucher expansion comes at the expense of our public schools and our students. That’s $100 million that the state could spend on teacher recruitment and training programs, giving kids access to healthy school meals, and making sure our school buildings are up to code. Voters have said over and over again that they oppose school vouchers, but Kelly Ayotte chose the side of special interest groups instead of Granite Staters.”
Maggie Fogarty, School Board Member, Dover School District, said: “Lawmakers acted today to further defund our public school system, at a cost to students, families, and school staff. This is detrimental for taxpayers, who are already being forced to pay millions in increased ‘give aways’ to private institutions without accountability and standards, and who now have to shoulder millions more dollars in service to a careless and politically extremist agenda. We need to urgently restore and expand resources that invest in the well-being of all of our students, our communities, and our future.”
Zandra Rice Hawkins, Executive Director of Engage NH, and public school parent: “Gov. Ayotte and Republican leaders in Concord are handing out taxpayer-funded giveaways to wealthy families who already send their kids to private schools, at the same time they are gutting public education, cutting children’s health care, and raising our property taxes. Instead of investing in the well-being of our kids and communities, they are pouring public dollars into private voucher schemes that do nothing but line the pockets of the well-off—leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile they are further targeting public educators and LGBTQ+ students with culture war parental rights bills that actually create more harm for vulnerable students.”
Loren Selig, State Representative (D-Durham): “My constituents are clear. Public money belongs in public schools. EFAs are a voucher scheme for the wealthy with funds stolen from the middle class.”