They’re baaack! Or did they ever really go away?
Anyway, the New Hampshire legislature is back in session and the Senate Republicans are continuing in their hell-bent mission of destroying the public school system. This past week the Senate Education Committee held hearings on two bills whose main goals is to seriously increase the school voucher program:
SB 442-FN aims to expand the voucher program by allowing any student who is denied a transfer to another school or district a voucher regardless of family income. This is just another attempt at universal vouchers as it has no requirement for the family to show the public school was somehow failing to meet the student’s educational needs.
SB 522-FN-A creates a school voucher program for Pre-K ages 2 ½ through age 5 for low-income families. This bill would stop an existing program that already provides support for high-quality childcare to low-income families through the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Instead, this existing program will be replaced with a new program through the NH Dept. of Education.
NH does not offer universal PreK to public school families. This bill would get rid of the high-quality childcare program which had previously been established through the DHHS. Another attempt at expanding school vouchers.
While this next bill has nothing to do with school vouchers it’s an attempt at playing “gotcha” with educators:
SB 341 creates a vague and impractical standard requiring an educator to respond “completely and honestly,” in writing, to any parent’s question. The drawback? The bill doesn’t define what “completely and honestly” means.
Really? Just one more unnecessary burden looking to be placed upon public school teachers. This bill is nothing more than an attempt to cause division rather than focusing on real solutions.
What the Legislature should be focused on is for every public school student to feel connected, included, safe and welcome in the school community. That there are sufficient certified teachers and paraeducators, keeping class sizes small, resulting in individual attention for students. Also enough available guidance counselors and nurses.
The Legislature needs to focus on how public schools can encourage the interests of students by meeting their educational needs which could include “hands on” learning. In order to accomplish that, the Legislature must finally honor its constitutional requirement (obligation) to provide an equal opportunity for a public education for every NH student. Whether these students live in towns with a high or low property tax base, they should be afforded a vigorous education.
With a 14-10 Republican Senate majority in Concord, parents (and grandparents) of public school students need to voice their concerns and preferences, then be sure to vote!