PRESS RELEASE

AFT-NH President Douglas Ley’s Testimony to “Save Our Summer” Commission

BOW, NH      NOVEMBER 2, 2018

AFT-NH President Douglas Ley provided written testimony to the Governor’s “Save Our Summer” Commission to make recommendations whether or not there should be a change made at the state level that would have schools only be allowed to open after Labor Day.

In relevant part, President Ley stated, “AFT-NH supports our long-established NH tradition of local control and local preference in matters of school year scheduling.  We believe those closest to the community and to the students are best situated to make appropriate decisions in regards to scheduling.  We ask that the Commission respect local control and draw appropriate conclusions in your report due on November 30, 2018.”

He further offered that, “There is a strong preference for local control—i.e., leaving the issue of start-dates in the hands of the locality.  Different localities and districts may have different perspectives and AFT-NH strongly endorses leaving this issue in the hands of the local school districts.  They are directly responsible to their community and are best positioned to meet the needs and desires of their constituents and to serve the interests of their students. 

Read the full testimony at "Save Our Summer" Testimony".

Read the Executive Order creating the "Save Our Summer" Commission at  Executive Order creating "Save Our Summer" Commission.

May 10, 2018 - Bow, NH

Today marked the end of the long 2017-18 saga of SB 193, the proposal to establish Education Savings Accounts as a means of funneling public education money to those choosing to attend private schools or home-schooling.  After eighteen months and innumerable twists and turns, the end came quickly in the NH House.  Having consigned SB 193 to interim study by the Finance Committee for the remainder of the 2018 session, the House now faced the early Senate version of SB 193, attached as an amendment to another House bill on an unrelated subject. 

Very quickly, the bill containing the Senate’s early version of SB 193 came before the House this morning.  By an extremely narrow margin, 170-165, the House rejected the Republican majority motion to join with the Senate in a Committee of Conference to try to salvage something from the saga of SB 193.  Immediately after, the House then voted 180-163 to “non concur” with the Senate on the amended bill (HB 1636) effectively killing it and its amendment (the original SB 193) for the session.  And so it has ended.  SB 193 will be studied by Finance this summer in an attempt to somehow come up with a version that shovels public funds to private schools but which somehow does not add costs the State or local property taxpayers.  It will be a difficult task.  In the meantime, the issue is dead, at least until 2019.