AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (2023-16) Action Needed

School vouchers back up for consideration    School vouchers are a failed policy. These programs take tax money away from public schools and give it to families to spend as they choose on private schools that can reject students as well as on educational supplies, online classes, technology, enrichment programs, tutors or whatever. School vouchers have been shown in numerous studies in states across the country to be damaging to student achievement, increase school segregation and drain much needed resources away from neighborhood public schools. In fact, the overall negative impact on student achievement has been measured as equal to or greater than Hurricane Katrina or the disruptions of the COVID epidemic! So why would the notoriously frugal Granite State be pursuing expanding a policy that shows such poor return on the use of our valuable tax dollars? 

The NH Senate will be considering expanding eligibility for NH’s existing school voucher system.  Next week on Tuesday, April 25^th at 9:00am and 9:30am respectively, HB 367 and  HB 464 will be heard by the Senate Education Committee. It has been a while since we have talked about these bills, so let’s recap. HB 367 increases the eligibility of the voucher program to 350% of the federal poverty rate up from the current 300%. HB 464 increases the eligibility for certain subgroups, including whole geographic areas, some of which could potentially encompass most of the state, by totally removing the income cap from the voucher program.

If either of these options seem crazy, it is because it is. As we know the voucher program is already wildly overbudget and anti- education politicians continue to prevent any safeguards on the program so that we know taxpayer funds are being used wisely and correctly. In addition, data continues to come out to show that these voucher programs do not work. Students who enroll in them statistically do worse than their public-school peers. Dramatically increasing funding for an unaccountable and ridiculously overbudget voucher program while the state continues to fail at its obligation to fund our neighborhood public schools in unacceptable. It would be nice if anti-education politicians and our anti-education commissioner would spend more time working on how to strengthen public schools, however it is abundantly clear that is not the case. Just this week in the ConVal trial Edelblut said he “wasn’t fully aware of what goes into an adequate education.” What a joke.

Since we know the commissioner won’t stand up for our neighborhood public schools, we need you to! Sign in opposed to these voucher expansion bills.

Action Alert    Please sign in with your OPPOSITION to House Bills 367 and 464 so the members of the Senate Education Committee have heard your voice against expansion of the voucher program.

Here’s the link to submit your opposition:   REMOTE TESTIMONY SIGN-IN

Step 1: Fill in your personal information.

Step 2: Select April  25^th  at 9:00 am for HB 367 and 9:30 am for HB 464.

Step 3: Select Senate Education Committee

Step 4: Select Bill Number.

Step 5: Select a member of the public and you are representing yourself.

Step 6:  Select OPPOSE.

Step 7: Click Submit.  You will be able to submit again for the second bill.

Action Needed - It is not too late to ask members of the House Education Committee to defeat SB 272.

Next week the House Education Committee will vote on the so-called Parental Bill of Rights (SB 272 legislation that had its hearing this week. You can still take action on this bill to let the committee know that all kids deserve to feel safe and welcomed in their schools.

Please  CONTACT HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS and ask them to vote Inexpedient to Legislate on SB 272.  Thank you for standing up for students.

For breaking news and other legislative information, please be sure to like us on Facebook at AFT New Hampshire or follow us on Twitter @AFTNewHampshire to receive the latest news.  Please share this with friends so they can sign up for this bulletin at http://nh.aft.org/.

You can also read written testimony submitted to the legislature at STATE HOUSE NEWS.

Upcoming Legislative Hearing Schedule