About NEA-NH

Founded in 1854, the New Hampshire State Teachers Association became one of the “founding ten” state education associations that formed the National Education Association in 1857.

Known today as NEA-NH, and comprised of more than 17,000 members, our mission to advocate for the children of New Hampshire and public school employees and to promote lifelong learning remains true after more than 150 years. Our members are public school educators in all stages of their careers, including classroom teachers and other certified professionals, instructors at public higher education institutions, students preparing for a teaching career, education support personnel and those retired from the profession.

We are committed to improving student achievement in New Hampshire public schools, providing learning opportunities for teachers and students, and ensuring that all students are ready to learn.

Motivated by the belief that a child’s physical, social or emotional needs should never stand in the way of classroom success, NEA-NH created the New Hampshire Foundation for Teaching and Learning (NHFTL) in 1996. The NHFTL Children’s Fund has been focused on improving teaching, student learning and education for public school teachers and students across the state, working to provide public school students with items and services needed for school success that are not provided by other agencies.

Things like glasses, clothing, medical care, transportation and school supplies, to name just a few of the ways NHFTL has stepped in with emergency stopgap measures for New Hampshire’s public school children. NHFTL is a direct impact program, making a difference one child at a time because we believe in opportunity, respect and fairness.

The Fund has distributed over $135,000 in grants in the past few years alone to provide for the basic needs of our students.

The mother and her children who left an abusive home in the middle of the night with just the clothes on their backs. The Fund provided clothing and toiletries so the children could attend school.
The high school student who had never been to the dentist, was in a great deal of pain and whose parents could not afford the cost of fillings. The Fund worked with other agencies to arrange dental care.
The abused child whose mom couldn’t afford the cost of transportation to counseling. The Fund supplied gas card to defray the cost.
The Fund regularly purchases shoes, boots, mittens, gloves and medication for students in need. And recently provided the money needed to secure a well-earned spot at UNH for a deserving student – a deposit on his now much brighter future..

The Fund is ready to assist children and help them be ready to learn and you make that happen.

The Children’s Fund isn’t the only example of our shared values in action.

Our unified belief in opportunity, respect and fairness drives our dedicated UnsiServ Directors and Assistants who work tirelessly for our members. We hear stories regularly of their commitment to our shared values.

Such as the UniServ director who took in a suspended teacher for 3 weeks until a bed opened up at an alcohol treatment center. Or the UD who saved the job of frantic teacher and mother who had rushed to the side of her daughter suffering from near fatal complications from pregnancy, only to hear she had lost her job due to FMLA paperwork errors. Or how they empowered a local member to change NH and federal law to protect children’s health by including children on family’s health care plan until age 26. Each and every day the staff of NEA-NH breathes life into our shared values for our members and our students.

We also defend and improve the integrity of our profession in NH by our efforts in Concord and Washington. We fought for universal kindergarten and to increase the drop-out age in NH. We helped pass a law requiring districts to notify ESP members of job status and to restore funding for CHINS and Higher Education. We worked to defeat a bill that would have allowed volunteers to teach elementary school and defeated attempts to repeal anti-bullying statutes and attempts to repeal the teaching of technology communications, art, music, foreign languages and health.

You see, these attacks on education, opportunity and fairness are not ancient history – they all happened within the last 3 years. As the legislative season restarts and we enter into contract negotiations, those who label us as selfish villains and thugs have already renewed their attacks on us and all that we stand for.

Is it wrong to belief that every child in NH deserves a great public school, and caring qualified educators?
Is it wrong to want every child to be clothed and feed properly so they can focus on learning?
Is it wrong to believe there is greatness in every child and to dedicate our lives to ensuring they each get a chance to prove it?
Is it wrong to expect fair treatment and respect from administrators and superintendents?
Is it wrong to hope that our elected officials will help us in our mission rather than degrade our profession and defund our efforts?

For more than 150 years the professional educators in the Granite State have stood strong in our efforts for a society made better through public education. Together we have achieved great things because we are NEA-NH. We are proud of who we are, what we do, what we have accomplished, and what we stand for.

Mailing Address:

9 South Spring Street

Concord, NH 03301

Office: 603-224-7751

Toll Free: 866-556-3264

Fax: 603-224-2486