Education Legislation Action

sb193SB 193: Say NO to “Education Freedom Savings Accounts”

**UPDATE 4/25** SB193 has been “retained” by the House Education Committee, effectively killing the “Education Freedom Savings Accounts,” better known as “school vouchers.”  The clear danger to public school funding and NH’s constitution is off the table for this legislative session and may be revisited next year.  If and when it comes back into the conversation again, we’ll be ready.

Once again, vouchers have reared their ugly heads in the legislature, this time in the form of so-called “Education Freedom Savings Accounts.”  The goal is to create a voucher-system that leaches tax payer money out of public education and into private, charter or religious schools at the expense of the majority of NH’s children.  This thinly veiled challenge to public schools in NH must be stopped.  Read about the bill below and take action.

(Update 4/3) SB 193 passed the NH Senate and heads to public hearing in the House Education Committee on 4/4.

SB193 Explained:

NEA-NH Talking Points:

  • Vouchers do not reduce education costs. Rather than reduce government spending on education, vouchers and ESAs create a dual system in which the taxpayer supports one public and accountable system and another private and unaccountable one.
  • Regardless of what they are called, vouchers, education savings accounts, tuition tax credits, and other related initiatives rob public schools of vital funding and resources.
  • Vouchers harm students who are most in need by taking critical resources away from our neighborhood public schools. Despite receiving public money, private and charter schools that participate in vouchers programs are not subject to the same civil rights laws, and do not face the same accountability and transparency standards that must schools must meet, including those in Title VI, Title IX, and IDEA.
  • Vouchers do not create choice for parents, but rather choice for private schools — they can reject students based on economic status, academic achievement, disabilities, English proficiency, immigration status, sexual orientation, or even gender.
  • New Hampshire believes in a strong and inclusive public education system that ensures that all students can succeed. Vouchers, education savings accounts, and tuition tax credits harm students, communities, and undermine the public schools that educate 9 out of every 10 students. There is no valid evidence that such schemes improve the performance of either the students receiving them or those left behind in public schools.   (NEA-NH)

What SB193 Would Mean For NH (AFT-NH)
Economic Policy Institute: School Vouchers Are Not A Proven Strategy

TAKE ACTION:

Head to NEA-NH to email or tweet your reps!
Call or text your reps by locating them here!
Check out TOWN HALL on your Facebook page to connect with your local officials!

rtw

*Update (2/16):  The So-Called “Right to Work” Bill was voted down in the House 200-177!  And it won’t be back for a vote in this legislative session (2 years)!  Well done folks!  Now, onto the Dues Deduction Bill!

Update (2/14): Join the NH AFL-CIO’s rally at the State House this Thursday 2/16 to show NH that “Right to Work” is Wrong for NH.  Rally starts at 9am and the vote in the House begins at 10am.

Update (2/10): On Thursday 2/8, the so-called “Right to Work” bill was voted down in committee 14-7. This recommendation to kill the bill bodes well for the vote in the House coming next Thursday 2/16, but our work isn’t done yet! Contact your local House Representative and make your voice heard.  Use this guide to craft your message: Post Card Instructions and Sample Messages and locate your representative here.  In addition, feel free to share the picture above on social media.

NH’s so-called “Right to Work” bill (SB11) has already passed the NH State Senate and will soon be headed for a vote in the House in three to four weeks (Mid-February) Despite research that suggests that the law reduces a typical full-time workers’ wages by an average of 1,558 a year and NH already has a nation-low unemployment rate, the bill has support in the Republican Party. Coupled with the upcoming Dues Collection Elimination Bill (HB 438), the effects on public and private workers’ unions in NH could be devastating to membership and negotiations.  In the coming weeks, SEA will be joining forces with other unions to contact our state government representatives, spread awareness and rally at the statehouse.  Talk to a SEA rep for details and check the “Right to Work” tab often for updates.

Read the proposed bills here:
Right to Work Act (SB11)
Dues Collection Elimination Bill (HB 438)

Understand the bill and how it affects workers’ rights and NH jobs here:
What Is So-Called “Right to Work?”
8 Things You Should Know About the proposed “Right to Work” Legislation
Facts to Know About “Right to Work” and the Economy/Jobs/Rights
FAQs About “Right to Work”