Re-Cap This Week: House Fails to Remove Subpoena Bill from Table and House Education Committee Hears Loan Repayment and Classroom Temperature Control Bills
HB 1353: Subpoena Power for Ed Commissioner Effectively Defeated
Last week, education advocates successfully tabled HB 1353, a bill that would grant subpoena power to the Education Commissioner in certain educator code of cases. This week, House lawmakers intent on giving the Commissioner this extraordinary authority attempted to take the bill off the table, however, it failed by a vote of 183-194. Having not passed by the deadline for acting on House bills not in a second committee, the bill would now require 2/3 vote to pass – which means it has effectively been defeated. Thank you to the members who contacted their Representatives and urged them to vote against this bill.
SB 526: House Education Hears Temperature Control Bill
This week NEA-NH testified in support of SB 526. As amended and passed by the Senate, this bill 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 favor and wrote in your own personal stories about educators and students dealing with extreme temperatures in your schools and classrooms. The House Education Committee will now consider the bill and cast a recommendation vote. If you have not had a chance to share your classroom story in support of SB 526, you can still do so by e-mailing members of the committee directly.
SB 217: Support Educators in Rural and Underserved Areas
NEA-NH also testified in support of SB 217, to establish a loan repayment program for educators in rural and underserved areas to help early career educators with student debt. While the policy was passed by the Senate, they unfortunately stripped the funding out of the bill. We hope to get the program passed into law so that it can be funded in next year’s state budget. Senator Donovan Fenton(D), the prime sponsor introduced the bill to the House Education Committee, and House Education Committee Chair Rep. Rick Ladd (R) also lent his support by testifying in favor of the bill. We hope this 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.
Senate Session Next Week Focuses on Culture Wars on Public Schools and Students
Next week’s Senate session has been purposely loaded up with a barrage of bills that target LGBTQ+ students and would erode New Hampshire’s public schools standing as places that welcome all students. Here is the rundown:
SB 341: The Senate will finally have a floor vote on SB 341 after punting it several weeks in a row so there is still time to contact your state senator about why this bill that turns educators into student surveillance drones is wrong for maintaining a strong relationship between parent, educators, and students.
SB 523: This bill started out as a book ban and the recommended amendment being voted on Thursday doesn’t change that. The amendment is filled with undefined and subjective terms, allowing for individuals to challenge library material 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. Instead of this approach, the Senate should pass legislation that requires school library material reconsideration policies that protect against discrimination, not pass a book ban like in SB 523.
Contact your state senator and tell them book bans have no place in New Hampshire!
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.
- Learn more about the 306 Rules here
- Attend and testify at one of the State Board of Education Public Hearings on the 306 Rules revision proposal:
- Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 1pm at the NH DOE building – 25 Hall Street, Concord. This hearing pertains to the first half of the rule proposal (ED 306.01 – 306.25). RSVP to Brian.
- Wednesday, April 11, 2024 at 1pm (tentative) at the NH DOE building – 25 Hall Street, Concord. This hearing pertains to the second half of the rule proposal (ED 306.31 – 306.49). 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!
SAVE THE DATE: NEA-NH State House Day on 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 save the date and look out for the signup form coming soon!
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.