Education
Citing a surplus, House Republicans propose dramatically reducing Education Trust Fund revenues
New Hampshire’s Education Trust Fund has racked up a sizable surplus recently. The fund, which pays out just over a billion dollars a year for the state’s share of public school funding, is expected to end this fiscal year with about $184 million unspent, current estimates state. The extra money is largely the result of […]
House moves toward using Medicaid data to enroll families in free and reduced-price lunch program
For families making up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, New Hampshire public schools offer free or reduced-price lunches, a federal program intended to reduce childhood hunger among low-income residents. But first comes an application. In order to get the discounted prices for lunches, a parent or guardian must write down the income […]
GOP bill establishing a federal parental bill of rights passed in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed a bill designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in local public schools, but Democrats sharply criticized the measure, saying it would censor teachers and ban books. The legislation, called the Parents Bill of Rights, passed on a 213-208 vote. It would codify federal education law to […]
Parental bill of rights narrowly fails in NH House, but debate isn’t over yet
The New Hampshire House on Wednesday voted down an effort to require educators to tell inquiring parents whether their child had made any changes to their pronouns at school – or face jail time. But the chamber left open the possibility of revisiting the issue when a similar Senate bill crosses over to the House […]
Senate passes controversial parental rights bill, sending it to House
The New Hampshire Senate passed a parental rights bill on party lines Thursday, sending to the House legislation that would require schools to disclose changes to a student’s gender identity if a parent asks. Senate Bill 272, which passed the Republican-led Senate on party lines, would help inform parents of a number of existing rights […]
Public schools slow to embrace new law allowing ‘innovation plans’
As middle school students returned to the classroom after remote learning during COVID-19, Concord School District officials knew they needed a new learning approach. Kids were disoriented after remote and hybrid learning had disrupted their ability to socialize. So the district looked outside of its own walls for solutions. In May 2022, Concord received state […]
Department of Education requests new power: subpoenas for teachers
When the New Hampshire Department of Education investigates a teacher for a potential code of conduct violation, they send a notice in the mail. Under a new proposed law, that teacher could also be served a subpoena. The New Hampshire Department of Education is pushing to be given the power to subpoena teachers or school […]
State launches ad campaign to encourage reading lessons
New Hampshire residents could soon see simple words on billboards across the state, from “cat” to “star” to “wow.” And their parents might see a bigger message attached: Reading is a joy. State officials kicked off a campaign Wednesday to encourage literacy learning among children, highlighting National Reading Month as the state grapples with a […]
Democrats pass three bills after briefly gaining majority in New Hampshire House
Democrats briefly gained a majority in the New Hampshire House Thursday and passed a handful of bills – the latest example of the precarious control over the chamber this session. With a slim advantage Thursday afternoon, House Democrats revisited two bills that had been tabled by Republicans and passed them, and used their majority to […]
House passes Democratic bill expanding school funding, suggesting bipartisan path
The New Hampshire House passed a pair of bills to increase funding for traditional and chartered public schools Wednesday, signaling a potential bipartisan path to long-term school spending increases. In a voice vote, the chamber passed House Bill 529, which would provide aid to school districts with low-income students and low property values. That bill […]
Safety measure or book banning tool? K-12 obscene materials bill sparks heated debate
It wasn’t a physical school library book that sent Betsy Harrington into a state of alarm about high school reading material. It was an app. Harrington’s son, a student at Hillsboro-Deering High School, had found a book on Sora, an app that gives students in participating schools access to thousands of e-books to borrow on […]
Bill requiring single-sex school bathrooms divides parents, students
New Hampshire House lawmakers are considering a bill that requires all multiple-stall bathrooms in public schools to be restricted to one sex, continuing a years-long debate around rights for transgender students. Sponsored by Rep. Michael Moffett, a Loudon Republican, House Bill 104 states that “all multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms in all New Hampshire public […]