We had another busy week in the State House.  HB 1679, the bill that we highlighted last week which would dissolve cooperative and regional school districts was heard before the House Education Committee. AFT-NH President Deb Howes’ testimony at the hearing on HB 1679 can be read here. In addition to this bill, there were numerous other bills surrounding public and charter schools.  The attacks on public education are relentless and appear to be never-ending but we know that supporters of public education will not waver in their defense of a pillar of our democracy. Mask bills delayed.  Last week, in addition to the numerous bills that were heard around charter schools and others, there were supposed to be billed on banning masks in schools but at the last minute due to a large, expected turnout, the chairman of the House Education Committee had to postpone those hearings. Those meetings have not yet been rescheduled but we need your voice in opposition.  We understand that masks are an important public health mitigation tool and while all of us would like to go back to a world where they are not required, we also understand there are times when they are necessary for the health of our students and educators and necessary to keep our schools open. We strongly feel that local school boards are the decision-makers best able to determine, in consultation with public health officials, when there should be mask requirements. We do not think any state law should take this mitigation tool away from local school districts.  MORE

Dear Chairman Ladd and Members of the Committee, My name is Debrah Howes. I am the president of the American Federation of Teachers – NH.AFT-NH represents 3,500 teachers, paraeducators and school support staff, public service employees, and higher education staff across New Hampshire. AFT New Hampshire strongly opposes HB 1679. This bill is a centralized, top-down attempt to mandate the break-up of cooperative and regional school districts that shows no respect for the local voters and taxpayers in the towns and school districts involved. Such a drastic move would arbitrarily and unfairly disrupt the education of thousands of public-school students, destroying an educational and operational model that has been successful for decades in our state. MORE

eacher Loyalty Bill   This week was another packed week at the State House with the House Education Committee hearing almost forty bills. This week’s bills included HB 1255, Relative to Teachers Loyalty. The bill is frankly an insult to every hardworking teacher in this state. The sponsor of the bills spoke to teachers indoctrinating their students but was of course unable to provide any concrete examples of teachers doing that. The committee heard the bill but has yet to vote on it so there is still time to make your voice heard. MORE

My name is Debrah Howes. I am the president of the American Federation of Teachers – NH. AFT-NH represents 3,500 teachers, paraeducators and school support staff, public service employees, and higher education staff across New Hampshire. I write to you in opposition to HB1255. This bill would outlaw advocating anything that “promotes a negative view of the founding or history of the United States.” Just like the Divisive Concepts law that our union is challenging in court, this bill is so vague that it would put teachers’ licenses and jobs at risk for teaching even the most basic facts about American history. Our members are dedicated to meeting students’ needs by engaging them in honest history lessons that teach them to think critically about information. It would be a disservice to our students to limit class materials or discussions to only the parts of our history that show our nation in a positive light. MORE

Testimony on HB 1632 (relative to civics education) From Debrah Howes President AFT-NH To the NH House Education Committee Dear Chairman Ladd and Members of the Committee, My name is Debrah Howes. I am the president of the American Federation of Teachers – NH. AFT-NH represents 3,500 teachers, paraeducators and school support staff, public service employees, and higher education staff across New Hampshire. I write to you in opposition to HB 1632 – not because we are opposed to the teaching about the Civil Rights Era, but because we are opposed to the packaging and teaching of the Civil Rights Era out of its proper context in the full sweep of United States history. AFT-NH firmly believes in providing all students a robust, engaging, and factual US history education so they can understand how our nation was formed and the changes it has undergone through the years, up to and including the present time. MORE

ONCORD, N.H.—The “teachers’ loyalty” bill that will be the subject of New Hampshire House hearings this week is another attempt by extremist lawmakers to give students a censored view of history and bully teachers into silence, AFT-New Hampshire President Deb Howes said today. “An Act Relative to Teachers’ Loyalty” would ban public school teachers from promoting any theory that depicts U.S. history or its founding in a negative light. It follows the so-called divisive concepts law that prohibits teachers from teaching that any group or person is “inherently racist, sexist or oppressive.” AFT-NH has filed a federal suit calling that law unconstitutionally vague. MORE