After a recent flurry of legislative victories, Republicans are celebrating once again, as Governor Kelly Ayotte signed HB 10 and SB 295 into law, fulfilling her long-standing school choice promise by removing pre-existing income requirements for all Granite Staters who wish to use state funds for alternative education options for their families.
“Giving parents the freedom to choose the education setting that best fits their child’s needs will help every student in our state reach their full potential,” Ayotte stated Tuesday morning. “I’m proud to sign this into law today, along with the Parental Bill of Rights, which ensures parents are the central voice in their children’s education. I thank the House and Senate for working to get these across the finish line.”
Surrounded by countless ecstatic lawmakers and beaming children, Gov. Ayotte signed both bills into law. The long-fought milestone is among several recent battles won by conservatives in the state legislature, with such legislation ranging from bail reform to a sanctuary city ban passing in just under three months. Senate Bill 295, one of the bills passed, ensures that families of all income levels have an equal chance to access state funds for schooling expenses, such as expenses related to homeschooling or sending children to charter schools. House Bill 10 further delivers on local school control, affirming that “parents have a fundamental liberty to raise and care for their minor children, as well as make decisions concerning their care and custody.” The state of New Hampshire is now part of a growing list of states with access to universal school choice, with states including Indiana, Wyoming, Ohio, and Florida, on the list. The state is the 19th state in the nation to offer such a program.
Education commissioner Frank Edelblut, who has since stepped down from his position, has long fought to expand education choice for children. He was ecstatic when the legislation was signed into law, stating that “New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program has already transformed lives by giving families access to the educational pathways that best fit their children’s needs.” Prior to the new law, fewer than one half of Granite state students were eligible to receive funding. Now every single student has access to it, a milestone in universal education choice.
Analysts and economists claim that the universal education choice will benefit minors throughout the state while keeping spending relatively low. The Josiah Bartlett Center, a local think tank based in Concord, estimated that education freedom expansion would have a relatively minimal dent in the state budget, costing only an additional “0.1% of total state expenditures.” They further assert that taxpayers will save millions of dollars in hefty payments for alternative education services, while delivering their children a better education.
Not everybody welcomed the announcement. Opponents of the legislation grouped inside the halls of the State House in Concord while some crowded outside the Governor’s office, waving signs and denouncing the move. Democratic lawmakers claim that expanding the program beyond an income cap is a giveaway to the rich, emphasizing how program coverage for the highest incomes strips away state money from underfunded public schools in cities like Manchester and in rural communities. Progressives and LGBTQ+ activists are concerned and furious that HB 10, one of the two bills passed by Governor Ayotte, requires school faculty to disclose students’ gender identity and sexual orientation to parents and adults. Deb Howes, president of AFT-NH, responded to the EFA passage, saying, “This is a major loss for the 165,000 Granite State public school students, their families, and local property taxpayers. Each and every Granite State student has the constitutional right to a robust public education, and the State has the responsibility to fund it without disproportionately burdening local property taxpayers. The school voucher scheme takes away badly needed resources from achieving that goal. AFT-NH thanks the members of the legislature who listened to their constituents and voted against this runaway school voucher program. We condemn the decision by Gov. Ayotte and other lawmakers to expand school vouchers to the wealthy at the expense of other state and local priorities.” Still, Republican legislators like 21-year-old Valerie McDonnell, among the youngest state legislators in the United States, were ecstatic, she expressed that “considering the program’s incredible success, I am thrilled to help expand this program to more students for the upcoming school year. This is on par with the majority of Republicans in the General Court. House Speaker Sherman Packard, who sponsored HB 10 for months, has also stated that “the legislation gives families real choice and ensures their values are respected.”
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