HB 253 is an attempt to resurrect a bill from last year, HB 1449, which was killed in the senate. No senators stood in support of HB 1449. Similar to its predecessor, HB 253 seeks to change the charter school approval process by allocating 25% of total possible points in an application to a single criteria (out of 26), the proposed chartered public school’s mission statement. It is another attempt to limit charter schools and create a subjective approval process. It is nothing more than an attempt to block chartered schools.
Currently most chartered public schools in New Hampshire have waiting lists. Parents clearly want more options in public education, even in areas where there are existing charter schools.
Let parents decide what best fits their child’s educational needs.
If a school does not adequately serve a family, or a community, enrollment will decline and the school would ultimately close. Let chartered public schools succeed or fail on their own merits without being subject to an agency’s presumptions of what a community needs.
The House Education Committee has not yet voted on this bill. Please contact them today at houseeducationcommittee@leg.state.nh.us urging them to vote it Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL).