Concord, NH - Today, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order shutting down the US Dept. of Education, endangering access to a robust public education for more than 55 million American students. Deb Howes, President of  AFT-NH, released the following statement:

“Shutting down the US Department of Education so it cannot fulfill its mission of supporting all students’ access to public education, frankly, attacks the pathway to opportunity for so many American students.

CONCORD, NH—The following is a statement by AFT-New Hampshire President Deb Howes on two universal voucher bills that passed today in the House and Senate and a House bill that imposes a cap on local budgets for school districts:

“In their twisted priorities, an out-of-touch majority of anti-public education extremists in New Hampshire have decided that the rich need help to send their kids to private school and once again showed their utter contempt for adequate funding for public schools, the support our students need or the burden this places on local property taxpayers. The universal voucher bills are ludicrous because they allow the well-to-do—even if they already send their kids to private school—to use a state-funded voucher to pay for private education. This is a gift to the wealthy and puts public education on a death watch.

I am here today to express our opposition to the Governor’s budget as presented in HB 1 and HB 2. It is often said that a budget is a statement of values, yet this budget does not protect or adequately support the needs of most Granite State students, their families or local property taxpayers. Our public schools, which serve nearly 90% of students in our state, and our public universities are pathways to opportunity for our students, their chance to learn and work towards a brighter future, to the benefit of their communities and the Granite State. Rather than meet our state’s obligation to those students, this budget chooses to focus its limited revenue on helping just a few, while leaving so many behind.

Concord, NH—Yesterday, President Donald Trump began his long expected shut down of the US Dept. of Education by laying off nearly half of the staff. Deb Howes, President AFT-NH released the following statement:

“ Hollowing out the US Department of Education so it cannot fulfill its mission of supporting all students’ access to public education, frankly, is reminiscent of the utter disregard that our own Commissioner of Education has for all public-school students, especially those from families or communities struggling with poverty or students who need special education services.