Legislative Action

LOCKDOWN: The Assault on Public Education Has Begun

The assault on public education and collective bargaining has begun. With the loss of the Governor’s office last November, and the recent ratification of Betsy Devos as US Secretary of Education, the results could be devastating for New Hampshire public school students and educators. Ignoring the voices of over a million Americans, the Senate needed the Vice-president to cast the deciding vote, to approve DeVos, marking the first time in history such a move was required to confirm a cabinet post. With no experience as an educator or elected official, and despite a decades-long record of undermining public schools by […]

My Union Experience: Standing Strong for Education for More Than 150 Years

This legislative session is shaping up to be a challenging one. Now more than ever, our collective strength will enable us to serve the needs of our students and members. During the 2016 Campaigns we heard our candidates speak out eloquently in support of public education and labor unions. We also heard the same anti-labor, anti-teacher, anti-public education rhetoric. Sadly, many of those supporting these views have won office. We know that our union experience is far different than the cliches, scapegoating, and name-calling. My union experience starts with recognizing and supporting the mission of my school – delivering the […]

Ensuring Safe, Welcoming, and Bias-free Schools

Schools should be havens. But right now, many of our students and educators are scared, anxious, and feeling threatened. Even before the election last month, New Hampshire teachers were witnessing the anxiety and fear that many of their students were experiencing.  Ann McQuade, an ELL teacher in Manchester, a federally mandated refugee relocation center, works closely with refugee and immigrant students who have traveled to New Hampshire from all over the globe. She recalls a student from Mexico who stood in front of her desk with watery eyes and asked, “Miss, is it true if Mr. Trump is elected President […]

Take the Pledge: Safe Learning Environments for Every Student

Schools should be havens. But right now, many of our students are scared, anxious, and feeling threatened. We are hearing from students and educators around the country who are encountering hostile, hateful environments in their schools and communities, with fake deportation notices being handed out and swastikas drawn in bathrooms. We are being flooded with reports of hate speech and images directed at students in our schools. Nooses. Racist graffiti. Threats to our LGBTQ students. Headscarves being torn off. Girls being assaulted. Children are hearing that they are not welcome in their schools and even in the country they call […]

NEA President: Every Child has the Right to Feel Safe, Welcomed and Valued

Educators welcome groundbreaking civil rights protections for transgender students in schools WASHINGTON—Today, the National Education Association, the nation’s largest professional association representing three million educators, enthusiastically welcomed the Obama administration’s guidance for school districts to help ensure the civil rights of transgender students. The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Lily Eskelsen García: “Every student matters, and every child has the right to feel safe, welcomed, and valued in our schools. As educators, we are responsible for our students’ education and safety, including transgender students. We know that students are more likely to learn and succeed in safe, […]

NEA-NH Backs HB 634

This morning, NEA New Hampshire announced its support of HB 634. “NEA New Hampshire is proud to support HB 634, a bill to close tax loopholes to help open opportunity for all,” said Scott McGilvray, NEA-NH President.  “If we are serious about education and economic growth, then we can no longer afford revenue sapping tax loopholes, including the capital gains loophole. It is time to close these loopholes, provide some tax relief to the middle class and invest in our future.  Together, we can expand opportunity for all, not just the wealthy few.” Closing the capital gains loophole alone would […]