What: Public Hearing on HB 1637 — a bill regarding school choice for small towns
When: Thursday, February 11th at 9:30am
Where: Legislative Office Building at 33 N. State Street in Concord, in room 207
If you’ve been following Croydon School Board v NH Department of Education, you know that Croydon has taken the position that if you have to choose between what the law says, and what an employee of the state says, you follow the law.
Unfortunately, the law in this case is so badly drafted that it is possible for employees of the state to choose to misunderstand it.
HB 1637 will clarify the law in a way that will force the Department of Education and Attorney General to call off their dogs, and let Croydon get back to the business of matching its kids with the educational settings that best suit them as individuals.
It will also allow other school districts to step up and do the same, without the specter of a lawsuit hanging over their heads. The approach pioneered by Croydon
— allows school districts to focus on educating children
— provides parents a greater voice in how that will be done
— saves local taxpayers money in the short run by sending kids to private schools that charge less than public schools
— saves all taxpayers money in the long run by allowing competition to rein in the cost of public schools
— provides incentives for innovative educators to cater to students who are not being served by the current public school monopoly
This bill will have a public hearing before the House Education Committee on Thursday, February 11th at 9:30am in the Legislative Office Building (LOB), room 207. The LOB is located immediately behind the State House.
Please come and testify, or just provide moral support by filling the room. The public is welcome to provide written or oral testimony, and may sign the “blue sheet” to indicate support or opposition to any bill. Alternatively, brief and polite phone calls are most effective, but emails are fine. The General Court website is experiencing several technical difficulties (the committee’s email is not always working), so contact the Representatives directly. Particularly mention if you are a constituent. The members’ emails are listed below.
For more information, read NH DOE Fails to Get Injunction Against Croydon. Click on this for driving directions to the State House (gold dome). And refer to this for area parking.
Emails for each member of the House Education Committee:
ladd.nhhouse@charter.net
john.balcom@leg.state.nh.us
beshaw3@comcast.net
ralph.boehm@leg.state.nh.us
bob.elliott@leg.state.nh.us
josh.moore@leg.state.nh.us
terry.wolf@leg.state.nh.us
junemf@comcast.net
deanna1214@aol.com
glenn.cordelli@leg.state.nh.us
cradams13@charter.net
Jason@Osborne4NH.com
Mary.Gile@leg.state.nh.us
Andrew.Schmidt@leg.state.nh.us
Mary.Heath@leg.state.nh.us
jimgreniersullivan7@gmail.com
Allen.cook@leg.state.nh.us
patchessul@comcast.net
mqgorman@comcast.net
Mel.Myler@leg.state.nh.us
james.verschueren@leg.state.nh.us