Two Important Charter School Bills Up for Vote on Wed, Jan 8

Charter schools need your support. Act today!

The House will vote on two critical charter school bills on the legislative session’s opening day, Wednesday, January 8th. Below are suggested talking points along with the critical information on each bill. Use those that resonate most with you and the ones that may be most persuasive to your Representatives; you only need to mention two or three points.

For the most impact, briefly phone each of your Representatives about the bill. Emails, while not as effective, are helpful. Representatives are rarely contacted by constituents, so a handful of calls and emails can make a big difference.

Find your legislator: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx

HB 424-FN: relative to review of chartered public school applications by the state board of education.

committee vote: ITL 11-9

recommendation: NAY on Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL), against killing the bill

HB 424-FN text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2014/HB0424.html

— This bill is intended to directly address the concerns from the charter school moratorium of 2012 and 2013. This bill would require the NH Board of Education to approve charter schools if they meet all the requirements defined by RSA 194-B:3 and not delay or deny approval based on the status of state funding availability.

— HB 424 provides greater clarity about the charter school approval process and facilitates those  efforts.

— HB 424 is designed for proposed charter schools to receive technical assistance from the State Department of Education if needed for approval . The DOE already receives 5% of the charter school’s grant funding for the administration of the grant.

HB 435-FN: relative to funding for chartered public school pupils

committee vote:  ITL 10-9

recommendation:  NAY on Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL),  against killing the bill

HB 435-FN text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2014/HB0435.html

— NH charter schools are part of the public school system. They currently receive approximately 40% of the state average funding per student. HB 435 would increase funding to 50%.

— Public charter schools receive about 2.1% of total public education funding in NH; traditional public schools receive the remaining 97.9%.

— Charters play a critical role in the free-market of education.

— Insufficient funding presents a significant risk for charter schools particularly in the early years of operation. Low funding levels can effectively close educational options to the most needy in our communities.

— NH public charter schools are currently the lowest funded charter schools in the country.

— NH public charter schools are accountable to citizens and taxpayers. They must provide regular financial and performance reports to the public and the state Board of Education for review. In addition, parents can leave the charter school if their expectations are not met. Charter schools are also subject to closure if they do not adequately satisfy parents or have their charter renewed by the NH Board of Education.

Contact your legislator about these important charter school bills today! Encourage them to vote against the committee’s recommendation, and vote NAY on Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL).