Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Reaching Higher NH believes that every child deserves a high-quality, rigorous, and just public education. However, we’re seeing an unprecedented effort to undermine our schools, our teachers, and the promise of public education for all. Whether it’s through diverting public dollars away from public schools, censoring what can be taught in the classroom, or other efforts, some lawmakers are proposing legislation that would have significant and long-lasting implications for our schools, our students, and our communities.
But we’ve also seen thousands of people who have spoken up in support of public education by showing up at committee hearings, penning letters in their local newspapers, writing to lawmakers, and sharing resources with their friends, neighbors, and communities. We’ve seen legislative proposals this year that seek to reverse some of last year’s most significant legislation, and others that would provide our communities with additional resources to meet the needs of their students. Lawmakers are about halfway through the public hearing cycle, and there’s still a lot to work through.
Learn more about the key trends in education policy this year with our “7 Key Ed Policy Trends to Watch in 2022,” which we published at the beginning of the session. Here are a few quick takeaways on what they’ve done, and what they have left to do:
- In January, lawmakers heard from hundreds of people on bills expanding or repealing the “divisive concepts” law, dissolving all cooperative school districts in the state, creating a study committee to address the teacher workforce shortage, creating basic accountability and transparency measures in the statewide school voucher program, and more. Lawmakers narrowly voted to table House Bill (HB) 607, which would have created local school vouchers directly funded by local school district budgets, but they’re expected to try to bring it back sometime this month.
- In February, lawmakers will continue public hearings on their remaining bills. Still on the docket are bills to repeal the statewide school voucher program, impose a criminal penalty for denying school board members access to school grounds, rework state laws on public education accountability metrics, fund pre-kindergarten, and more.
- The Senate is moving forward with SB 420, which would create a $25 million “extraordinary need” grant program for towns with low property tax bases. The bill passed through the Senate Education Committee, and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Education Committee is also considering SB 426, which would preserve about $30 million in state funding due to fluctuations in student enrollment. As of Monday, the Education Committee has not acted on the bill.
Reaching Higher NH publishes a weekly legislative update, highlighting the biggest trends in policy and helping you stay informed. Our New Hampshire Education Network(NHEN) provides people who are interested in public education with a place to connect with others and learn about the issues.
And, if you’re interested in supporting our work to make sure that the public has the information they need to make informed decisions, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Reaching Higher NH.
Spotlight on School Boards
With School board elections right around the corner for many towns, we’ve added a new resource to our toolkit for folks who want to get involved in education. School boards play a critical role in communities, setting the overall vision for their districts and making decisions about curriculum, materials, and budgets. Check out our article, infographic, and podcast on school boards: why they matter, what they do, and how to get involved.
Expanding Higher Ed Access
The House Education Committee kicked off its 2022 work with a series of bills on higher education. The Committee unanimously voted to recommend passing HB 1218, which would merge Granite State College into the University of New Hampshire. The primary aim of the bill is to offer more options for students while maintaining each institution’s distinct mission, Rep. Rick Ladd (R-Haverhill), the bill’s prime sponsor, told the Committee. Granite State College and UNH-Manchester have already taken steps toward consolidating certain programs, and that effort is going well, Ladd said. The merger will give Granite State College students access to in-person classes at UNH-Manchester at the lower Granite State College tuition rate as well as allowing UNH-Manchester students to take advantage of Granite State College’s larger selection of online classes. No layoffs are expected from the merger.
The Committee also voted unanimously to recommend passage of HB 1575, which would waive college and university tuition for children of New Hampshire’s disabled veterans, and created a working sub-committee for HB 1530, which would allow the Community College System of New Hampshire to offer bachelor’s degrees. The prime sponsor of HB 1530, Representative Oliver Ford (R-Chester), said that the intention of the bill is to generate conversation about student access to post-secondary programming. According to a study published in 2020, 23 states allow community colleges to offer such programs, and research suggests that they serve a more diverse student population, including more adult learners and rural residents.
Pathways that cut across institutions and allow students to maximize community college credits are already in place, Mark Rubinstein, Chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, told the Committee. For example, the RN (Registered Nurse) to BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program allows students to take three years of classes at community college, then transfer to Granite State College for their final year. “I think that’s an excellent model because in addition to addressing the needs of students who are place bound, it also addresses the need for affordability,” Rubinstein said.
A subcommittee has been working on HB 1530 since it was introduced, and they’re expected to wrap up their work and send a recommendation to the full House Education Committee soon.
School Funding Remix
A bill introduced in the House and referred to a House Education work group last month is rekindling discussions around school funding. HB 1680 would modify the state’s school funding formula by establishing state foundation opportunity grants.
Bill sponsor David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) outlined the key components of the bill for the work group, which includes several members of the Commission to Study School Funding that met throughout 2020 to develop recommendations for reforming the school funding formula. The bill “recognizes the cost differences that each district has, and it also applies the state’s limited resources to where they’re needed most,” he said.
Primarily, the bill redefines “constitutional adequacy” in terms of student performance and directs funds to districts accordingly. It also establishes a transparent accountability system to ensure schools are spending funds in ways that improve student outcomes. It includes a property tax relief program for low- and middle-income homeowners and gradually increases funding over a 10-year period.
Another school-funding related bill, SB 420, would provide about $25 million in “extraordinary need grants” for towns with low-and moderate-property tax bases. Under SB 420, which was sent to the Senate Finance Committee last week, about half of the state’s towns would receive a total of $14.7 million in 2022 and $9.6 million in 2023, according to NH Department of Education estimates. The grants are allocated on a sliding scale: Towns with the lowest property tax bases would receive $650 per student who qualifies for school meal programs, and those with moderate tax bases would receive a portion of the grant based on a sliding scale.
Reaching Higher has a variety of resources that provide background and context for school funding legislation. You can find all our school funding news and resources here.
Mark Your Calendar
The New Hampshire Education Network’s next monthly meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. Join the network now to be part of our next discussion.
Critical Shortages, Creative Solutions
New Hampshire is facing a significant teacher shortage: About 90% of teacher endorsements in the state were on the critical shortages list in 2021, NH DOE Division Director of Education Support Steve Appleby told the Senate Education Committee last month at a hearing for a bill that aims to address the shortages. SB 236, which was passed by the full Senate on Feb. 3 and now heads to the House, establishes a committee to study New Hampshire teacher shortages and recruitment incentives.
Meanwhile, schools around the state and country have been employing a variety of strategies to help keep school doors open amid another COVID surge. In Weare, some parents are substitute teaching on their days off. In Manchester, the Board of School Committee voted last month to raise substitute teacher pay to $15 per hour. Other states are trying to fill gaps by calling on the National Guard or certifying all state employees as substitutes.Despite their best efforts, some schools have had to close for short periods due to high numbers of staff absences. Under a set of proposed rules for remote learning approved by The State Board of Education last month, remote learning days due to COVID outbreaks or staffing shortages will not count towards the 180-day requirement.
If you missed our story on the strong professional community that has emerged from these challenges, check it out here.
Young people searching for a hands-on career may want to check out the new Registered Carpentry Apprenticeship. A partnership between the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, Apprenticeship NH, and Manchester Community College, the program is designed to prepare young people for their first construction jobs. The program will connect job seekers interested in learning carpentry skills with employers looking for qualified workers. Apprentices will earn pay while completing 6,000 hours of on the job learning and 455 hours of classroom training at Manchester Community College over a three-year period.
Examining Equity
“I feel like I could have done more. I could have done more if I had more resources.”
The latest story in the Granite State News Collaborative’s series on education and equity takes a deep dive into data that demonstrate educational disparities in New Hampshire. “Mind the Gap: Educational Experiences Differ Widely Between Towns for Students Across the State” examines data such as guidance counselor ratios, college enrollment rates, standardized test scores, and per pupil spending, as well as probing the root causes of educational disparities with students, school leaders, and experts. The Collaborative is utilizing a variety of tools to report on education and equity, including listening sessions, student surveys, and a data library. View the series here.
Join Our Team
Reaching Higher is in search of a full-time Policy Analyst and a part-time Office Manager. If you are moved by our mission and motivated to make sure each and every child in New Hampshire has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential through an exceptional public education, we invite you to apply. View the job descriptions and application information here.
NH House of Representative Online Testimony Submissions: This new tool on the NH General Court website allows the public to search bills to see how many people have signed on in support and opposition.
Suddenly Distant & Still in Flux: Teachers’ Work During COVID-19. This report by the Suddenly Distant Research Project draws on interviews with 75 teachers in nine states. It analyzes a variety of topics related to learning during the pandemic, including teacher voice in school reopening plans, building relationships with students remotely, tensions between teachers and parents, and the benefits of collaboration.
Student Counts in K-12 Funding Models: This policy brief by the Education Commission of the States examines how different states count enrollment, which determines how state and federal funds are allocated. Recent challenges with fluctuating enrollment due to COVID and other factors illustrate the central role student counts play in K-12 funding models and why it is important that these counts are accurate.
The pandemic has dashed and deferred too many college dreams
Christensen Institute, Julia Freeland Fisher and Nick Torpy-Saboe, January 18, 2022
A Q&A with ‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson: ‘Who Are We Without Teachers?’
Education Week, Ileana Najarro, January 26, 2022
Study: Common school ratings biased, often inaccurate
Chalkbeat, Matt Barnum, January 24, 2022
My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life
New York Times, Viet Thanh Nguyen, January 29, 2022
You must be logged in to post a comment.