The following education bills will be voted on by the entire House of Representatives on Wednesday, April 15th. Please contact your Representatives today. A brief phone call is most effective, but an email is helpful. Reps often don’t hear from constituents at all, so your effort can make a powerful difference.
To find your Representatives, go to “Who’s My Legislator?” The email for all Reps is hreps@leg.state.nh.us
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
House session, Representatives’ Hall at 10:00am
** SB 69, establishing a commission to study social impact bond funding for early childhood education for at-risk students
position — NAY on Ought to Pass (OTP), committee recommendation 15-6
more information — This bill is a gateway bill towards universal preschool and chases another failed federal education experiment. For additional information, read Noble Goals of Pre-K Programs Fail to Deliver, Good Intentions Are Not Enough and Testimony for SB 69.
** SB 101, prohibiting the state from requiring implementation of common core standards
position — YEA on Ought to Pass (OTP), committee recommendation 11-9
more information — Two major bills were introduced this session regarding Common Core. Of the two bills, SB 101 is preferred because it expressly prohibits the state from mandating Common Core standards thereby protecting local control. It also reinforces legislative intent to keep dispositions (values, attitudes, and beliefs) out of NH standards and assessments. The other bill, HB 276, further empowers the state Board of Education. For a comparison of these two bills, read Rep Denigrates Constituents in Executive Session. During the House Education Committee’s executive session, Rep Mel Myler had a fit about the number of “misinformed” emails he received from constituents. For more information and a link to the video, see Manchester Parent Responds to Rep Myler’s Remarks.
SB 195/A-FN, requiring instruction in cursive handwriting and memorization of multiplication tables
position — NAY on Ought to Pass (OTP), committee recommendation 15-6
more information — The original bill was well-meaning, but an unfunded mandate, against Part 1 Article 28-A of the NH Constitution, but the amendment neutralizes that concern. It now permits districts to continue the instruction for cursive and multiplication tables as they choose. Although it is a rather innocuous bill, the legislature should not be telling schools and teachers what and how to teach. A Resolution would be a more appropriate mechanism for a bill with this intention.
UPDATE 4/12/15: The position on SB 195/A was revised from neutral to nay on OTP.
