AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin (2024-14)

Part-time Teacher Bill and Feed Our Students

SB 341  This week the extremist majority controlling the state Senate continued to try to create a wedge of distrust between parents and educators by passing SB 341. SB 341 says that an educator must answer “truthfully and completely” to any question a parent asks about what a student says or does in school. This is not limited to classwork and assignments, grades, following school rules, or even generally getting along with other students, all things a teacher would notice in the course of their work. It could be about anything: changes in clothing or hairstyle, conversation between students, or disclosures the parent believes the student has made to the teacher. The truthful and complete standard does not exist elsewhere and even the Department of Education said it was vague and unenforceable. This bill starts from an assumption that educators are currently “keeping secrets” and actively lying to parents. Every good educator understands that working with parents by keeping them actively involved and informed of a student’s academic progress and general well-being at school   leads to better outcomes for students.  Educators also understand that getting in the middle of family relationships can be fraught and often getting the middle just creates more issues. Being forced to spy on every move students make so that we can answer any question a parent might ask, just so we can meet an unworkable legal standard, is harmful to the level of trust required for schools to function and students to learn. We will be reaching out for further action when SB 341 has its hearing in the House.

Next week the House Education Committee and Senate Education Committee will each consider part-time uncertified “teachers” through HB 1298 and SB 374, the two versions of the so-called part-time teacher bill. We have talked about these bills in the past. While the bills started the same, the House bill comes over to the Senate with an amendment.

On Tuesday, in the House Education Committee, they are voting on SB 374, a bill that weakens the standards for becoming a teacher allowing someone who does not have a credential to work up to 30 hours a week. Teaching is not only about knowing academic content, but also about understanding communication, classroom management, child development and pedagogy.  Our students deserve educators who understand how to best educate them so they can be set up for success in their lives. Lowering standards does not do that but could very well lower the educational experience for our students. Email the House Education Committee and tell them to reject SB 374.

Education Funding  Over in the State House, the House Finance Committee passed HB 1583 is a good funding bill that provides more money to our local neighborhood schools that need it the most as New Hampshire continues to create districts with different educational outcomes due to the lack of state funding. HB 1583 is a small step to help struggling districts though it still falls significantly short of ensuring that New Hampshire is following our constitutional obligation to fund our local neighborhood public schools.

Feed Our Students  HB 1212 was also heard in House Finance this week. To quote the late Representative Art Ellison, “Feed the damn kids!” HB 1212 would increase the income eligibility cap so that every student whose family is at or below 350% of the federal poverty would qualify for free and reduced school lunch. We know that students do better in school when they have a nutritious meal and know for certain they can get one every school day. The bill unfortunately was voted Inexpedient to Legislate out of committee but hopefully can be overturned on the floor.

 Also on Tuesday, HB 1298 is being heard in Senate Education. This bill, as amended and passed by the House, allows for content area experts to be hired as teachers without being certified or on any of the existing paths to certification as long as they:

• Work less than 20 hours a week
• Have a bachelor’s degree in their content area
• Have 5 years work experience in their content area
• Pass a relevant content area exam

The amended version of HB 1298 would give these part-time teachers adjunct authorization from the NH DOE to teach but would preclude them from converting this into a regular teaching certificate. Even within the amended bill, lawmakers recognize that there is more to teaching than knowing the academic content. Knowledge of communication, how students learn, how to assess learning, adjust lessons, when to reteach and multiple ways to handle student behaviors are all key teaching skills that have absolutely nothing to do with content area knowledge. Someone who holds a teaching certification has background through coursework and student teaching in all of these skills that an uncertified part-timer does not. HB 1298 – even as amended is not what is best for students!

Contact the Senate Education Committee

Please tell Senate Education No on HB 1298 by registering your opposition via the remote option.

1. Sign in here:  https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/remotecommittee/senate.aspx
2. Go to April 9^th.
3. Go to 9:10 am and HB 1298
4. Select you are a Member of the Public and Representing Myself
5. Select OPPOSE.
6. Complete your personal information and submit.

Thank you for taking action.

Legislative Action Toolkit

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.

We will post the next week’s schedule of bills we are monitoring at the end of the weekly bulletin. If you want to find out more information about any bill, you can simply enter the bill at the following link:  FIND A BILL.

We encourage you to take action on other bills. Please note our position is not noted on the current tracker for bills that have already been heard and are now pending executive session action or in a work session in committee since the period for testimony has passed.

For any of the bills scheduled for a hearing you can register your position on any bill scheduled for a public hearing at the following link: SUBMIT YOUR POSITION ON A BILL.

Legislative Hearings for the Week of April 8, 2024