Superior Court Judge Allows School Funding Cap Law to Move Forward on Ballot; Supreme Court Appeal Pending
This week a state court allowed the school funding cap question passed in HB 1300 to move forward and be printed on the November general election ballot. There is an appeal pending in the state Supreme Court, but for now we need to expect that this misleading question will remain on ballots this fall.
It is essential that voters and lawmakers at all levels of government value public education and support students and educators with the resources they need, but this one-size-fits-all tax cap question muddies the waters around school funding, undermines local decision making, and could make it harder for community public schools to meet the needs of every child.
Our state deserves better than gimmicks when it comes to our students’ education. NEA-New Hampshire will never stop fighting to ensure that public schools have the resources they need to foster a supportive learning environment for all students. That’s why we need you involved at the local level and together with some of our partner organizations, we want to make sure you have all the tools you need to organize and get the word out about why these caps are wrong for our schools.
Join us along with our partners at Engage NH, AFT NH, MomsRising, and other school and community leaders for a discussion about how funding caps affect local public schools and communities. Learn how the proposed school funding cap works and how other communities have confronted similar attempts to cut funding for public education - and instead deepened community support for public schools! (Note: If you attended our briefing in August, this is the same presentation.)
Promote the Vote in New Hampshire
Want to help ensure your friends, family, and community have the information they need to participate in upcoming elections and civic engagement efforts? Join the NEA and Empower Project "Promote the Vote" partnership to use your voice, make sure your personal contacts know the stakes of the election and have a plan to vote.
No prior experience required. Sign up to learn more!
Study Committees Begin – Highlighting Violence Directed Against School Staff
As we mentioned in the last legislative update, some legislative study committees have begun, including the COMMITTEE TO STUDY VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS DIRECTED AT STAFF MEMBERS AND THE OBSTACLES TO DISCIPLINING OR EXPELLING STUDENTS IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES. Back in 2019, NEA-New Hampshire asked for and participated in the creation of a study committee around violence committed against educators while in the course of their work with students. That committee led to legislation being passed and signed into law that:
- Penalized school districts for discouraging or adversely affecting the terms of employment for employees who reported such injuries under the state’s workers’ compensation law
- Required joint management-employee safety committees to develop in their safety programs, plans for responding to violent acts committed by students against staff and establish protocols and training for staff
- Established specific reporting requirements for school districts around acts of violence against school staff with the Department of Education
While there is more work to do to strengthen these steps already taken, we are hoping to convey to this new committee some of the challenges educators still face in schools. The committee’s legislative charge is to “consider state and federal laws relative to violence in schools directed at staff members, mental health concerns affecting students, potential liabilities for school districts, and the emotional and psychological trauma experienced by staff members who are required to continue interacting with their assailants following an incident.”
The committee will be taking testimony and public comments. It’s a big topic for a short duration as the committee must develop a report by November 1 of this year and there is an election season also happening simultaneously. This is a very important issue though and so if you are interested in learning more or sharing your perspective on what sorts of changes this committee should recommend to next year’s legislature, please reach out to me at [email protected] to find out how you can be involved on this issue.
NEA-NH Action Center
Most of the tools and information you need to be a legislative advocate for public education are right at your fingertips through NEA-New Hampshire. Check out our NEA-NH Action Center to get all the information you need about issues we’re tracking at the State House, how to communicate with your lawmakers, and how to take action on specific bills.
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 [email protected].
