Earlier today I had the opportunity to be on the Girard at Large radio show with guest host, Senator Kevin Avard. We discussed HB 1637, the school choice for small towns bill, aka the Croydon bill.
Governor Maggie Hassan vetoed the bill a couple weeks ago although it could have helped more than a dozen small towns across the state that do not have full K-12 programs in their districts. A white paper is expected out shortly that reportedly shows upwards of 80 NH districts could participate in some kind of tuition agreement. They might have also benefited from this legislation. Considering roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of local property taxes go to fund public schools, this has a direct impact on all NH residents whether or not they have school-aged children.
Listen to the archived radio show starting at 10:00 to catch our segment.
We touched on concerns that Gov. Hassan is siding with a major teacher union and lobbying organizations, not students and taxpayers. She even refers to them in her veto message. We also talked about the state’s “guarantee of an adequate education.” The guarantee only refers to tracking graduation rates and administering statewide assessments; it has nothing to do with education quality or success. (Read Districts are Bullies for more information about statewide assessments and how to refuse your student’s participation.) There is more information about the Governor’s veto available in this article.
To those following the NH DOE’s lawsuit against the Croydon School Board, we are still awaiting the NH Superior Court’s decision. We are in contact with Croydon officials and monitoring the situation closely.
For more information on HB 1637, read the following articles.
Governor Vetoes School Choice
New Hope for HB 1637
Choice Without Strings Attached
Disaster in the Senate
Saving School Choice
For more background on Croydon’s choice program and lawsuit, read the following.
Croydon’s Day in Court
Injunction Hearing for Croydon vs the NH DOE
Response to the NH DOE and Attorney General
It’s About Control, Not the Kids
The NH DOE Continues to Bully Croydon
The DOE Wants to End School Choice
Innovative School Choice Program in Croydon
