Legislative Action

The Most Expansive Voucher Bill in the Country is Headed for NH – NEA-NH Spoke in Opposition Today

HB20, the most expansive voucher program ever proposed in the United States, had its first hearing today. Make no mistake, regardless of the title, HB20 is a voucher bill. How bad are school vouchers for students? Far worse than most people imagine. According to one analysis, the use of school vouchers—which provide families with public dollars to spend on private schools—is equivalent to missing out on more than one-third of a year of classroom learning. In other words, this analysis found that the overall effect of the D.C. voucher program on students is the same as missing 68 days of school. Megan Tuttle, […]

A headshot of Megan Tuttle

NEA-NH Urges Charters Be Held to the Same Standards as all Other Taxpayer-Funded Schools

Today, the Commissioner and Legislature have agreed to cash Betsy DeVos’ check to double the number of charter schools in New Hampshire.  Her check provides for the start-up costs for these new schools, but does not pay to operate or maintain them – the taxpayers of New Hampshire will be responsible for those costs. Charter schools, by their very nature, drain funding from local public schools, which enroll over 90 percent of K-12 students. We believe since charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools, they MUST be held to the same safeguards and high standards of accountability, transparency, oversight and equity as […]

Legislative Preview: What We Face in 2021

This week, the state legislature that convened on December 2 will look very different from the last 2 years – which means the legislative landscape changes dramatically. Republicans now hold a 14-10 majority in the state senate, a 213-187 majority in the state house and will hold a 4-1 majority when the new Executive Council is installed in January along with Governor Sununu. With the change in party control, we expect to see a very different policy agenda pushed by the new majority for the upcoming year, but some of the same challenges we all knew would be before us […]

What NH Students and Families Need Now is PPE, Test Kits, Laptops and Internet Access – Not More Charter Schools

New Hampshire House and Senate leaders plan to move ahead this week on the $46 million federal grant to help double the state’s charter schools – their first major legislative action since taking power in the Legislature last month. Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said his department will be submitting another request to accept the funding at Friday’s Fiscal Committee meeting. “The pandemic has made it clear that many of our public schools and districts need help. Now is not the time to double the number of charter schools in New Hampshire,” said Megan Tuttle, NEA-NH President. “NH Students and families need […]

TAKE ACTION: Politicized Courts Threaten Students, Schools, and Communities

As the nation mourns the loss of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senate Majority Leader McConnell and President Trump are rushing to replace her on the court. The next president must nominate Justice Ginsburg’s replacement after the people have spoken. We are just more than 40 days away from Election Day, with people voting all across the nation even now about who will nominate the new Supreme Court Justice. Under no circumstances should the Senate consider a replacement for Justice Ginsburg until after inauguration. In order to have a Supreme Court that is just and fair, we need […]

NEA-NH Statement on Executive Council Board of Education Vote

The State Board of Education is responsible for providing leadership and oversight to our education system. This requires experience in education, whether that be prior service on a school board, in  school administration or as an educator in a classroom; a demonstrated commitment and advocacy around advancing educational policies and outcomes; or any other activity that indicates the nominee has the experience and expertise to best serve our state’s children, the vast majority of whom attend public schools. NEA-NH routinely opposes nominations that do not demonstrate a background in public education or the expertise to guide the 167 school districts […]