May 2, 2021 ~ Bow, NH
This is a very short bulletin for the upcoming week. The most important action is the public hearing on the State budget, to be held by the Senate Finance Committee this coming Tuesday, May 4. There are actually two hearings, starting at 1 pm and again at 6 pm, though this is largely a ploy to allow time for senators to take a break and grab some dinner.
Why is this important? It is the only opportunity for the public to weigh in on possible additions and deletions to the State budget. After this, much of the work will be done behind closed doors amongst Senators, the governor, and House Republican leadership, with a budget to be voted upon by the Senate at the start of June and sent back to the House for either acceptance, rejection, or a Committee of Conference to try to iron out differences between House and Senate versions.
What can you do? Register your opposition to the bills in question (HB1 or HB2, does not really matter) but even better sign up to write to members of the Senate Finance Committee. Write to the senators--make your voice heard!! Links for registering opposition and for writing to senators are below. What follows are the primary points of concern to AFT-NH, but we have additional useful material that can be made available to you.
You can send a quick letter to the senators on the Senate Finance Committee by clicking the following link: Say No to Vouchers in the Budget!
If you would like to register your opposition to the budget bills contained in HB1 and HB2, click the following link: Register Opposition to the State Budget Do the following steps:
1) Click on May 4th;
2) Select Senate Finance Committee;
3) Select either HB 1 or 2 and either 1 pm and 6 pm;
4) Select you are a Member of the Public;
5) Select you are Representing Myself; and,
6) Click you Oppose the Bill.
7) If you wish to testify, you can select the box, “I Want to Testify” but you do not need to do so in order to register your opposition.
8) There will be another window that pops up to type in your name and email address which must be completed.
9) And finally, if you wish to submit testimony there is a final window that gives you information. It is an easy and effective way to have your position registered!
Three Key Items of Concern From the perspective of AFT-NH, there are three key items at stake. First, the language of HB544 (banning discussion of “divisive concepts” like racism, gender discrimination, etc.) has got to go. The latest indicators are that the Senate might remove the provisions of HB544 affecting the private sector but leave it in place for schools and the public sector. This is unacceptable. It is impossible to teach US history without dealing with negative elements from the past, many of which continue to have an impact today. Teaching a lily-white, “pageant of US history” is neither accurate nor usable in today’s diverse schools and divided society. To leave HB544 in place will only make NH the laughingstock of the nation, further weakening what has been one of the nation’s highest achieving public school systems.
Second, it is our hope the Senate will remove the so-called “education property-tax relief” in the House budget, provisions that provide no relief but simply further downshift costs onto local property taxpayers. Joining with many other supporters of public education, AFT-NH urges inclusion of language to utilize attendance, free lunch, and disparity aid numbers from the 2019-2020 school year and set aside the artificially low numbers from the 2020-2021 school year. The pandemic kept attendance much lower this year, and as for eligibility for free or reduced lunches, those numbers are also quite low this year, not because poverty abated in NH but because everyone was eligible so very few took time to register (and registrants are the measure used for State aid).
Finally, AFT-NH stands firmly opposed to any inclusion of vouchers or “education freedom accounts” in the State budget. The voucher program, whether it be the House version (HB20) or the Senate version (SB130) has never had a public examination of its costs, but it will most certainly cost the State millions of dollars to shovel your taxpayer dollars to families choosing to home school or utilize private schools. This is the most expansive, least transparent, and least accountable “voucher” program in the entire United States, and will cost local taxpayers millions in State education aid, money to be made up through higher local property taxes. We know the program is bad for NH, and so do legislators—that is why they may try to simply insert it into the State budget, without any serious public examination of its impact. This is NOT how a major policy initiative should be launched, and it is up to us to make clear our opposition to this backroom political scheme.
Please, now is the time to make your voice heard, to stop the backroom deals in Concord, and bring sunlight to the budget process. We are facing potential real and serious damage to public education in NH—we need to stand up and stand together! Join us, and turn back the tide of extremism, unprecedented giveaways of public funds, and the deliberate dismantling of public education in NH. It is time to stand firm and make it clear: enough is enough!!
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NH Retirement Security Coalition The NHRSC will be tracking all bills related to the NH Retirement System and continuing advocacy for our members. You can find the legislation tracker following retirement bills by clicking on the following link NHRSC UPDATES. AFT-NH is a member of the NH Retirement Security Coalition (NHRSC).