Latest News

04/25/25: NEA-NH Legislative Update

This Week: Hearings and Committee Votes  SB 297 – House Commerce Hears Risk Pool Regulation Legislation  This week, the House Commerce Committee heard SB 297, the bill proposed by the Secretary of State to establish new regulations for the organizations that operate as risk pools to offer health insurance and workers compensation for most of the public employers and employees at the local level in New Hampshire.  As NEA-New Hampshire President Megan Tuttle testified, our priority is the preservation of affordable and reliable health insurance options for NEA-NH members across the state. She also indicated that as the Committee deliberates, […]

PRESS RELEASE: Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Department of Education’s Unlawful Directive

CONCORD, N.H. – In a victory for students, parents, and educators, a federal judge has granted a request for a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” letter against the plaintiffs, their members, and any entity that employs, contracts with, or works with one or more of Plaintiffs or Plaintiffs’ member. The court’s ruling blocks ED’s unprecedented and unlawful attempt to restrict discussions and programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational institutions, and its threat to withhold federal funding for engaging in such efforts.  The Dear Colleague Letter’s directive contradicts […]

04/18/2025: NEA-NH Legislative Update

Re-Cap of the Week  Senate budget writers dug into their work this week. First, members of the House Finance Committee presented their changes to the Governor’s budget proposal. Next, they’ll hear from state agencies about what those changes will mean.   On May 6, members of the public will have another opportunity to weigh in on the state budget. The Senate has scheduled their public hearing to begin at 1pm; there will be a break for an hour between 5 and 6 pm and the hearing will continue into the evening. Please mark March 6 on your calendar; if you can […]

4/11/25: NEA-NH Legislative Update

This Week: NH House Passes Their Budget but Rejects Mandatory School Budget Caps  The Good Stuff  The House state budget proposal passed this week on largely a party line vote, but not before some major changes occurred on the House floor. Thanks in large part to educator-led advocacy, the House cast a strong, bipartisan vote (206 – 165) to remove the devastating language of HB 675 from the budget bill. That language would have imposed a draconian, mandatory budget cap on all school districts that would have essentially frozen school budgets without a 2/3 supermajority override vote. This would have […]

PRESS RELEASE: NH House Budget Prioritizes Handouts for Wealthy at the Expense of Kids

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire House voted 185-175 in support of a state budget proposal that would erode the foundation of public education and jeopardize the health and wellbeing of New Hampshire’s children and families.   Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the vote: “Budgets are about choices and reflect the values of their creators.   New Hampshire politicians are choosing to prioritize business tax cuts and handouts for the wealthy over programs that support our most vulnerable citizens – children. Politicians are choosing to slash funding for higher education, Medicaid, and developmental disability services […]

PRESS RELEASE: Bipartisan NH House Vote Rejects Mandatory Statewide School Budget Cap 

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire House voted 206-165 in support of an amendment to HB 2 that removes the mandatory statewide school budget cap. The legislative language taken from HB 675 was originally inserted by the House Finance Committee; it would have placed an arbitrary cap on school district budgets based on inflation and enrollment trends—regardless of real costs like teacher salaries, special education services, or rising utility bills. Today’s vote comes on the heels of communities across New Hampshire overwhelmingly rejecting petition warrant articles to institute local per pupil spending caps during their annual school district meetings.   […]