Yup! It’s those school vouchers again. Commissioner Edleblut’s gift that keeps on giving . . .
Currently, the Senate Finance Committee is looking at two bills which would expand the school voucher program. SB 442 expands the voucher program for anyone who has been denied a manifest hardship and SB 522 creates a whole new voucher program for pre-k in New Hampshire even though we do not have a public pre-k program in this state yet.
These new programs would be a huge expansion of a currently overbudgeted and unaudited voucher program. Please tell the Senate Finance Committee we cannot afford voucher expansion and to vote no on SB 442 and SB 522. All this takes is a simple on line signature.
On Tues., March 26, the House Education Committee will be hearing SB 374. This bill is meant to decrease the standards for becoming a teacher by permitting someone who does not have a teaching credential to work up to 30 hours a week. All students deserve teachers who understand how to best educate them, setting them up for future success in their lives. Decreasing standards does not do that, instead it could lower the educational experience for students. Please contact the House Education Committee urging them to Reject SB 374 and Respect Professional Standards for Educators.
A bit of good news, HB 1353 was recently tabled by the House. This bill would have given Edleblut subpoena power over educators. The bill did not have enough votes to pass this past week but could be taken off the table by a simple majority vote next week. Once next week is over, the bill would then require a two-thirds vote to remove from the table, effectively killing the bill. Something else to keep an eye on even while we await an audit of the school voucher program which is required by state law that the Dept. of Education is slow walking.