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NEA-NH Legislative Update 01.19.24 

Week of Consequential Votes and More Important Hearings Coming this Week  This week we had a number of important hearings and even floor votes on consequential bills surrounding the expansion of private school vouchers, a major book ban bill, and lowering standards for those who teach part-time. Please take a look at more detail on these and what comes next in the recap.  This week coming up we are following a lot of bills around private school vouchers, cooperative school district governance bills, labor law for minors, and special education. We’re highlighting a couple of hearings where it will be […]

A photo of the New Hampshire State House dome.

NH Senate Endorses Voucher Expansion Bill 

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire Senate voted 13-11 in support of SB 442, which would expand our state’s private school voucher program and undermine the state manifest hardship exemption. SB 442 next goes to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.  Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the vote:  “New Hampshire is dead last in our country when it comes to state investments in public education. Our courts have recently ruled once again that the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to fund an adequate public education for our students. It is […]

NH Senate Republicans Vote to Eliminate Credentialing for Part-Time Teachers, Jeopardize Granite State Students’ Access to High-Quality Public Education 

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire Senate passed SB 374 on party lines, 14-10. The bill would create the status of a “part-time” teacher in state law and would eliminate state board of education credentialing requirements for any teacher who works less than 30 hours a week.   Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the vote:  “While New Hampshire is currently facing a teacher and staff shortage in schools across the state, this is a misguided attempt to address that crisis. Regardless of whether someone teaches full or part-time, we should all agree it is […]

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

NH Educators Oppose Efforts to Expand Unaccountable Voucher Scheme, Highlight Negative Impact to Public Schools, Students, and Taxpayers

CONCORD, NH – Today, the New Hampshire House Education Committee heard testimony on four bills that would so dramatically expand our state’s private school voucher program that the package would effectively institute universal vouchers. The bills heard were: HB 1634; HB 1677; HB 1561; and HB 1665.   Before the hearings, Granite Staters overwhelmingly signed in to oppose voucher expansion efforts:  Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the hearings:  “Every family wants their children to have access to high-quality educational opportunities in their community that meet student needs and prepare them for success. But the package […]

Big Week Ahead: Vouchers, Book Bans, No-License Teachers, and One-Test Diplomas – Oh My!

It’s a huge week of public hearings next week in the New Hampshire House and Senate. Hearings will be held on several universal voucher expansion bills, a bill that would establish a non-credentialed “part-time” teacher to be able to teach in our public schools, a bill that would allow a student to only take a single test to graduate from high school, and one of the new versions of a book ban.   Get ready to take action now because we have a full docket of legislation that seeks to wage an assault on public education. It’s time to make your voice […]

Signs held at the NH Legislative Office Building read "Right to Work" is WRONG for NH

HB 1419: Book Bans are Back!

ACTION REQUESTED: Please take the time to sign in against HB 1419. The public hearing is Thursday, January 18th at 9:30am in the House Education Committee. HB 1419 is just one of this year’s attempts at a book ban modeled after similar bills recently introduced in other state legislatures. Like others before it, the bill contains vague language left open to interpretation and once again contains violations of the Code of Conduct. The bill sets up a process to follow that ends with the state board of education and does not truly allow local school districts to develop their own […]