Frank Edleblut has been New Hampshire’s Commissioner of Education since former Gov. Chris Sununu appointed him in Feb. 2017. He is one of the longest serving commissioners in the country, coming into that position with a career background having had nothing to do with education. His appointment ends on March 23rd and we need to encourage Gov. Ayotte NOT to reappoint him!
The bad thing for NH is that this current governor is also a fan of school vouchers and has the support of the state’s extremist groups. On Feb. 15th, the House Finance Committee met with the governor putting in an appearance about the budget. Rep. Kate Murray D-New Castle asked how the governor would "reconcile your desire for belt tightening and being fiscally responsible while responsibly shepherding the people's money with the expansion of a program (school vouchers) that to my mind has no guardrails, unlike similar programs in this State. Has always come in over budget and doesn't have an accountability mechanism. This is taxpayer money we are talking about..."
The governor doubled down on her position concerning vouchers.
But getting back to trying to persuade her and the five members of the Executive Council not to re-appoint Edleblut . . .
There are a few ways to make your voice and concerns heard:
-Email: KELLY.A.AYOTTE@GOVERNOR.NH.GOV
Council: Joseph.D.Kenney@nh.gov, John.A.Stephen@nh.gov, Janet.L.Stevens@nh.gov, karen.liothill@nh.gov, David.K.Wheeler@nh.gov
-Call: (603) 271-2121
-Fill in THIS FORM, or
-Send snail mail:
Governor Kelly Ayotte
Office of the Governor
State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
Some talking point ideas:
-We need someone whose commitment to supporting and strengthening public schools is clearly evident.
-We need someone who is not perceived as working to undermine our public schools.
-We need a person who is not divisive or polarizing, which is not working out for NH.
-We need a commissioner who doesn’t think providing just math, science, social studies and language arts equals an adequate education
These are just a few ideas, but put it in your own words so it doesn't sound like cookie cutter messaging. Or perhaps you have different thoughts and ideas. Whatever you can do to support our public schools and teachers, in turn supports the students.
Edelblut's term expires March 23. Thank you for taking the time to partake in democracy.