Legislative Action

Four More Voucher Expansion Bills Up for Consideration

ACTION REQUESTED: Sign in to OPPOSE four voucher expansion bills being heard on Wednesday, January 17th in the House Education Committee. Please note, comprehensive instructions on how to sign in can be found at the bottom of this email.  There are several bills being heard in the House Education Committee next week that would expand eligibility for the private school voucher system so that anyone could qualify for the program regardless of their income either because the income qualification requirement is eliminated or because the categories created in the bill are so broad that it is effectively a universal voucher program.   […]

A white sign held in front of the Legislative Office Building reads: Support Our Public Schools"

NEA-NH Opposes Bill Giving Ed Commissioner Subpoena Power

NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle testified in opposition to the non-germane amendment to HB 533 that would grant subpoena power to the NH DOE in Code of Conduct cases. “To begin with, we are not aware of any material that the DOE has asked for in the course of an official investigation under the Code of Conduct that they have not received so in asking for this added power it is important for them to concretely articulate why it is they need this new ability,” said Tuttle in her testimony. “The legislature should be cautious on why agencies beyond law enforcement […]

NEA-NH Testifies in Opposition to Voucher Expansion

“I am writing to you today to express our strong opposition to HB 464 and HB 367, legislation that would greatly increase the amount of funds directed toward our school voucher program by expanding the eligibility of the program. The bills appear to do so by eliminating the income eligibility among a variety of categories of students.” This is how the testimony submitted by NEA-NH for today’s hearings on HV 464 and 367 began. The evidence is just too stark to justify the use of public money to fund private expenses and tuition. Vouchers fail to deliver for the kids […]

Federal Court Rules “Banned Concepts” Lawsuit Can Continue

Federal judge allows case to proceed, saying “Given the severe consequences that teachers face if they are found to have taught or advocated a banned concept, plaintiffs have pleaded a plausible claim that the amendments are unconstitutionally vague” United States District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro ruled on the State of New Hampshire’s request to dismiss the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of several recent amendments to New Hampshire’s education and antidiscrimination laws that restrict what public school teachers can say to their students about how to understand, prevent, and redress discrimination in our society. While he did rule that claims that […]

The Solution to a Political Problem Can Be Found at the Ballot Box

Many New Hampshire schools started the new school year with fewer educators than they ended with in June. Some schools still face critical shortages in key areas. Educators across the state are optimistic as always about the prospects of the new year, and are anxious to get back into our classrooms with our students, but we all wonder how we got here, will things get any worse, and what can we do to make it better? As summer vacation memories fade, the nightmare of last year’s teacher loyalty bills, divisive concepts laws, gun violence in schools and Commissioner Edelblut’s constant […]

NEA-NH Statement on Senate Passage of HB 1431

Parents and teachers in New Hampshire have been working together for a long time to ensure our schools consistently provide what’s best for our children and their education. It’s part of the reason New Hampshire is always in the top 5 ranked public school systems in the country. Instead of building upon the on-going parent-teacher relationship, HB 1431 takes the opposite approach. Its broad language around so-called rights and notice, particularly on the heels of the banned concepts law, coupled with the threat of litigation will only provoke a greater chill in our schools. Rather than working to encourage educators […]