Broad Array of People Testify Against Universal Voucher Bill!
One of the biggest bills of the year had its public hearing this week in the House Education Funding Committee. HB 115 would expand our unaccountable voucher program by eliminating the income qualifying cap entirely. Thank you to everyone who signed in, wrote in or testified in-person against this bill! Overall, there were more than 3,400 people who signed in against the bill compared to only 791 who signed in support. A broad array of people came out in opposition including several NEA-NH members, people who went to or sent their kids to both public schools and private schools, as well as individuals who home educate their kids. These diverse individuals had a consistent message –they want public dollars to go to public schools, not unaccountable private school vouchers.
Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to subsidize extremely wealthy families who send their kids to elite private schools. A recent report from Reaching Higher NH indicates that expanding our voucher program with no income limit could cost the state over $100 million dollars per year. That is $100 million in public money that would be diverted away from supporting public education – even though Granite Staters overwhelmingly support their community public schools, which are attended by nearly 90% of New Hampshire students.
The House Education Funding Committee will now consider the bill and eventually take a vote on whether to recommend the bill to the full House as it is, to amend it, or to kill it. Let’s not wait for a floor vote on this bill. Reach out to your state representative(s) now and tell them, instead of sinking more money into a program that its advocates refuse to place any accountability on, they should support local communities by fully funding special education costs, maintaining or increasing aid to be able to hire or retain qualified educators, and funding building aid so that students have safe and health environments to learn.
Full Deck of Major Bills Coming Up Next Week for Hearings: Code of Conduct, “Right-to-Work” School Funding and More!
HB 235 Dramatically Broadens Code of Conduct
ACTION REQUESTED: SIGN IN TO OPPOSE HB 235 being heard in the HOUSE Education Policy and Administration Committee on Thursday, January 23rd at 11:15 am. Please find step-by-step instructions to sign in below.
HB 235 would give the NH Department of Education the ability to expand the code of conduct to include an unknown set of responsibilities to parents (not just students as it does today). Educator responsibilities to students are laid out in the code of conduct with standards that make sense such as maintaining a professional relationship with students and protecting students’ health and safety. This bill would add parents to the law and then let the Commissioner and the State Board enumerate what those responsibilities to parents are through the rulemaking process. This could be a limitless and unworkable set of standards for educators to meet and compete with their number one responsibility, which is the well-being of their students. Given the highly charged political culture war agenda currently pursued by the Department under the guise of parental rights, this is a bill educators should be concerned about.
So-Called Right-to-Work is Back…Again. And Still Wrong for NH!
Once again, far-right extremists are pushing their anti-worker agenda. HB 238-FN is a harmful “right-to-work” bill set for its first hearing on January 22nd. We need your help to send a strong message to our representatives: “right-to-work” is STILL wrong for New Hampshire.
“Right-to-work” laws are a bad deal for working families. They lower wages across the board by thousands of dollars and undermine workplace training and safety programs that benefit everyone. This legislation isn’t about freedom or creating jobs—it’s about government intrusion into our workplaces.
In the lead up to the January 22nd hearing let’s make it clear: New Hampshire won’t stand for attacks on workers and their rights.
Will you send a letter today telling your legislator to stand against right-to-work?
HB 550 Would Implement ConVal Decision to Double State Aid to Local School Districts
ACTION REQUESTED: SIGN IN TO SUPPORT HB 550 being heard in the HOUSE Education Funding Committee on Tuesday, January 21st at 2:00 pm. Please find step-by-step instructions to sign in below.
The first public school funding bill of the session is positive. HB 550 would implement the district court judge’s order from the ConVal lawsuit, that the state should be contributing at least $7,356 per student, plus any differentiated aid rather than the current base aid of $4,100 per student. This would more than double the base aid to local communities ahead of a final decision on these cases before the State Supreme Court.
Send a message to the House Education Committee that you want the state to contribute more aid to local communities so New Hampshire schools can hire and retain qualified educators and foster the supportive learning environments our students deserve.
Highlight: More Important Bills We are Also Following Next Week
HB 90 – The newest version of the part-time teacher bill that seeks to weaken the standards of our profession and could negatively impact the education our students receive. This bill as written creates the status of a part-time unlicensed teacher if they work no more than 20 hours, seek a criminal history records check, adhere to code of conduct, and are employed or contracted as a full-time or adjunct faculty member by the university system or the community college system.
HB 131 – would require school boards to develop and enact a policy regarding cell phone use in schools. The bill is a start toward creating a minimum standard for cell phone policies in all schools but still needs more work to ensure that it is straightforward and effective and not simply just creating a class-by-class prohibition that makes enforcement more difficult for educators in the school.
You can also follow all the bills we are watching next week including the ones that we still only have titles for by visiting our NEA-NH bill tracker.
NEA-NH Legislative Advocacy Toolkit
Most of the tools you need to be a legislative advocate for public education are right at your fingertips through NEA-New Hampshire. Check out our new NEA-NH Legislative Advocacy Toolkit here to get all the information you need on how to communicate with your state representatives and senators, support and oppose specific bills, and testify in Concord.
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.
Need help signing in on legislation? Follow these comprehensive instructions (details for public hearings are contained in each action request).
For House bills:
1. Visit this link: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx
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 bills:
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.