Legislature Is Back – Convening Day Set for January 7, 2026
Often, Convening Day is a ceremonial non-event. But not in 2026. On January 7 (and 8 for the House), the New Hampshire House and Senate will vote on more than 200 total retained bills left from the 2025 session—including 67 that could impact NEA-NH members or public education broadly. In this edition of the update, we are going to highlight some of the bills up for votes that cause the most concern and need member action. Additionally, we’ll provide an important update on upcoming hearings for Physical Education and Health Teacher certifications, and a special invitation for our 2026 Legislative Kick Off webinar.
Homework Over the Break: Tell your State Representative(s) to Reject Artificial School Budget Caps
As we mentioned in previous updates, this fall the House Republican leadership put forward a new version of a mandatory budget cap plan for school district budgets using a retained bill from the 2025 session, HB 675. The language is similar to House Majority Leader Jason Osborne’s push to include draconian school budget cap language in the trailer bill of the state budget, which was fortunately rejected with 38 House Republicans joining House Democrats in opposition.
Unfortunately, some lawmakers aren't taking no for an answer. The House Finance Committee voted on party lines to send HB 675 from last year to the floor with a new amendment that slightly changes the original artificial cap that would be mandated on all school districts. The new version is like one that school districts already have the option of adopting at their annual meeting that considers change in attendance and cost of living index (CPI). This formula still does not take into account all the unexpected and downshifted costs that school districts face in any given budget year.
Just like the original HB 675, the amended version would place a mandate on all school districts without the chance for voters to adopt it and would also require 2/3rds of the legislative body to override the cap if a school needed to keep up with the true rising costs of operating a school.
Together, we helped defeat this budget cap mandate once already. Now we need to do it again. Time and again, communities have shown their willingness to step up to ensure our next generation can succeed despite the state’s continued refusal to finally fully fund public education. Instead of fixing our state’s broken funding system, these politicians are pushing a statewide mandatory school budget cap that will lock in and expand the existing disparities in our state and make it very difficult for districts that are already underfunded to make up ground. All while funding a second, unaccountable private school education system through their runaway voucher scheme.
Other Important Bills Coming Up for a Floor Vote on Convening Day
- School District Takeover Authority – The first is a rushed amendment to HB 121 that would give the NH State Board of Education the ability to appoint an administrator to rule over a school district under certain circumstances, some of which are extremely vague.
- Ill-Advised Bullying Overhaul – As amended, HB 131 would completely overhaul the bullying statute. Former Rep. Cordelli had attempted this identical change twice before and was rejected each time. This bill proposes changing the definition of bullying, creating one-size-fits-all disciplinary requirements, and instituting licensure penalties that put educators at risk.
- Another Book Ban Bill – Earlier this year, Governor Ayotte vetoed HB 324 – a book ban bill. But the House Education Policy Committee is pushing another bill of the same subject matter, SB 33. As amended, the bill sets up a process we’ve seen in other states that could result in books being banned from schools on a very subjective basis. Further, SB 33 as amended threatens educators with penalties for running afoul of the bill.
State Board of Education to Hold Important Public Hearings on Proposed Changes to Health and Physical Education Certifications on Thursday January 8
Capping what will be a very busy first week of the legislative session, the State Board of Education will also be meeting and holding a public hearing on their proposed changes to the Physical Education Teacher and Health Education Teacher credentialing requirements.
Without the support of any educator input, the State Board made their own recommendations on updates to these certifications (as outlined in Physical Education Teacher Initial Proposal) to include eliminating the minimum requirement that candidates have a bachelor’s degree, and instead replacing it with requiring “at least an associate’s degree in health science or related field OR a high school degree or equivalent and no less than 4 years’ work experience in sports science, physical education, or a related field.”
The State Board of Education is proposing a similar requirement for the Health Education Teacher certification of a minimum of an associate’s degree and making several changes to the areas of demonstrated knowledge and experience (as outlined in Health Education Teacher Initial Proposal).
There is concern about how the changes to the standards for these licenses will impact the quality of candidates teaching our students physical education and health.
If you hold one or both certifications, please review the changes and let us know your thoughts. To submit comments to the state board of education on either rule change, you can:
- Testify before the State Board of Education on Thursday, January 8 at 11am at the Department of Education on 25 Hall Street in Concord.
- Submit comments in writing to the State Board of Education by e-mailing Julie Shea at [email protected] no later than Thursday, January 15th.
You’re Invited: NEA-NH Legislative Session Kick Off!
With hearings on 2026 bills beginning the week of January 12th, there’s no time to waste when it comes to getting up to speed with the major pieces of legislation we’ll be tracking—and how you can take action. Join me – Government Relations Director Brian Hawkins – for a special webinar on January 8 at 6 p.m. for a preview of all you need to know for the 2026 Legislative Session.
Registration is required - click here to sign up for the NEA-NH Legislative Kick Off webinar on Thursday, January 8 at 6 p.m.!
Committee on Government Efficiency (COGE) Report Released
Late last week, Governor Ayotte’s office released the report issued by the Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE) which was modeled after the idea spearheaded by the Trump Administration known as DOGE. This Commission was an advisory only entity, however, and would need action from the Legislature and the Governor in order to institute much of what it is recommending. While much of the report focused on state agency operations, there was a section that raised some suggested action with respect to K-12 education policy. The report made recommendations around standardizing local budget formats, reimbursement sought for special education services, establishing a “Teacher Bill of Rights”, suggesting reforms around school administration and financial audits, as well as recommending a careful look at the consolidation of School Administrative Units (SAUs). You can read the entire report to learn more.
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 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 [email protected].
