Legislative Action

“A Better New Hampshire is Possible” Rally at State House Tomorrow

CONCORD, NH – On Thursday, June 24th at 10 am, a grassroots coalition for a People’s Budget will gather at the State House in Concord to demand a better budget for New Hampshire. The rally will take place as the House and Senate hold concurrent sessions to vote on the final version of the state budget. The rally will feature advocates on issues of racial justice, public education equity, disability justice, tax fairness, and the urgency of climate action. WHAT: Coalition for a People’s Budget to Gather at the State House for “A Better New Hampshire is Possible” Rally WHEN: […]

NEA-NH Calling for RedForEd TOMORROW, Thursday, April 8

We’re asking all members and supporters to wear red to show our outrage over the Governor’s order Well before the Governor decided to insert himself into the process, many school districts had developed plans and were on track to return to full-time classes by early May.  Those plans were created with the input of educators, administrators, parents and health officials to address the unique needs of each school and bring students back AS QUICKLY AND AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE. This has always been our goal. To call attention to the unnecessary chaos and complete lack of regard for local control […]

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 […]