HB 115 Opposition Online Testimony from Public Officials and Lobbyists
This is a production of Citizen in a Republic, which covers New Hampshire legislative politics.
Education vouchers hurt public education by diverting much-needed funding from public schools to private institutions, which often lack accountability and oversight. As more public funds are directed toward private vouchers, the financial resources available for public schools diminish, leading to overcrowded classrooms, reduced educational services, and cuts to essential programs like special education, arts, and extracurricular activities. This shift disproportionately harms students in low-income communities who rely on public education as their primary option. Moreover, private schools are not required to follow the same regulations as public schools, such as adhering to state-mandated curriculum standards or ensuring non-discriminatory practices in admissions, which can exacerbate inequality in the education system. Ultimately, vouchers prioritize the interests of private entities over the collective good, weakening public education and limiting opportunities for all students, especially those who need it most.
—Erin Kerwin of Manchester, NH who is An Elected Official
I am against this bill100%. I am the Chair of a school board. Public education is going to take such a hit if this passes. My parents chose a private school for me, AND THEY PAID FOR IT! If the state wants to support this, raise funds for it, rather than cut public and education and have this directly in taxpayers. I also want to express my sincere concern about home school education. There is no accountability. Parents can place their child in front of a computer, and not have to do anything to support that child. I have seen instances where the child returns to public schools, and be so far behind, being caught up is extremely difficult. I also worry about social skills that are lacking is some instances!
—Ann Nolin of Berlin, NH who is An Elected Official
We need to eliminate the school voucher program completely. Any efforts to expand it just makes a bad situation worse.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund a private school or home school program when our public schools should be strengthened instead. Taxpayers shouldn’t pay the bills of private education schools.
This is a bad deal for the taxpayers of my district AND all of NH.
—Kris Schultz of Concord, NH who is An Elected Official, representing Concord wards 4, 9 & 10
There has always been school choice; most commonly in the form of parochial schools through the local church with parishioners contributing to enable families of modest means to have this type of education. Secular private schools offer scholarships for students they feel will manage the rigorous program though their parents can’t manage the tuition. Parents themselves make choices so their children can attend schools other than the traditional public school; they forgo out of state vacations and other expenses opting instead to pay the tuition at the school of their choice. My brother’s three children went to parochial school and though it was at some sacrifice, this was the choice they made. HB115 would eliminate entirely the maximum family income for Education Freedom Accounts, a program intended to serve low-income families as determined by the federal poverty guidelines for the community where they live. Doing so would have the unintended consequence of putting children of higher income homes in seats intended for low-income students. The majority of EFA students were not enrolled in public school, but instead used alternative education as was their choice. It’s clear that expansion of the program to higher income families does not serve the stated purpose of making school choice available to those least able to afford tuition. The average EFA grant of $5,200 exceeds the public school base amount of $4,100 by $1,100 and unlike in our public schools, there’s no oversight, no accountability for how the EFA money is spent nor an assessment of student outcomes. My preference is to focus on our traditional public schools which despite less than adequate state funding have ranked in the top 5 in the nation. Please vote ITL on HB115.
—Michael Cahill of Newmarket, NH who is An Elected Official, representing Rockingham 10
As a current school board representative and retired private school teacher, I stand firmly behind the State of New Hampshire and our collective responsibility to offer support for PUBLIC education. Vouchers do not serve that purpose.
—Richard Umiker of Randolph, NH who is An Elected Official
Dear Committee Members,
I urge you all to vote against the passage of HB115 expanding the Education Freedom Account school voucher program.
New Hampshire residents send 88% of our students to public schools. For many, public school is the ONLY option. And this vast majority is being abandoned by the state in favor of costly vouchers that have zero oversight or accountability.
The state of NH has already lost multiple lawsuits for inadequate funding of education over the past few decades, and has still NOT meaningfully increased base adequacy funding. Instead, the majority has decided that paying fines and spending legal fees for additional appeals is a better option than simply increasing base adequacy funding.
Along with inadequate base funding, the Department of Education has already announced that they will not be assisting any school districts with catastrophic aid funding which is steeply increasing this coming year.
Now the House is, yet again, considering a bill that would further increase EFA eligibility to drain even more public education funding from our public schools.
This steady decline in adequate education funding has negatively affected all schools in property-poor towns along with most other schools across the state. Buildings are inadequately maintained in favor of meeting students’ most pressing educational needs along with state and federal mandates and fixed costs. This long term decline in funding has in turn negatively affected enrollment and with the onset of school vouchers more and more residents that can afford private education are using these funds as a cash discount on their tuition. For most families with two or more children that are homeschooled, the amount of money they receive in vouchers far exceeds what they’ve paid in education taxes to begin with, so the towns suffer with less funding as well.
Since 2008 the state has stopped paying their 35% portion of the NH Requirement System, all school building aid and has steadily reduced catastrophic aid funding. All of this has happened while base funding has not meaningfully increased at all. By not meeting the constitutional obligations to provide adequate public education to all NH residents, the state has forced property owners to shoulder more and more of these financial burdens through increased property taxes. This has led to many people unable to afford to stay in their homes and rents have climb out of reach for those earning the median income.
These Education Freedom Accounts had previously been pushed for many years through bills that always died in the finance committee review, because they are simply WAY too expensive. So the majority decided it was easier to pass this legislation by adding it directly to the budget.
This year there is a serious revenue shortfall at the state level that has been created by dramatically slashing taxes that are primarily paid by multimillionaires, out-of-state corporations and tourists. This revenue shortfall means the state has to provide services to its residents with less and less funding and some services may even be cut. To even consider any expansion of eligibility for these vouchers which are projected to cost the state tens of millions of dollars more is plainly fiscally irresponsible!
Meanwhile, residents are going broke with the constant downshifting of state obligations, and the state’s homeless population has ballooned by 50% — the largest increase in NH history. How can our new Governor achieve any of her top priorities to expand affordable housing, care for all NH students and make meaningful reductions to out-of-control property taxes, if this bill is passed?
The state must stop increased spending for a program that is not accountable to anyone and shows no proof of better outcomes. In Milford we had a family sign up to receive vouchers for their children and shortly after, they enrolled their children in our public schools anyway. Because there are no safeguards or accountability for these vouchers, that money was not required to be returned. That left our school with no base adequacy funding for those students and the mandate to cover the cost of all their educational requirements regardless. It is a violation of the public trust to spend any of our precious tax dollars for a black box voucher program that violates the constitution by sending tax dollars to religious schools and has zero safeguards.
I urge the committee to vote against any expansion to a program that funds a minority population at an overwhelming cost to the majority, while our public schools continue to deteriorate from inadequate funding.
Thank you for acting fiscally responsible, Jennifer Siegrist Milford, NH
—Jennifer Siegrist of Milford, NH who is An Elected Official
I support fully funding public education for all.
Vouchers, otherwise known as the ridiculously named EFA, are anathema to equitable access to good public education. They drain money from public education and filter it into unaccountable and opaque private and religious hands. 75% plus of current vouchers are already going to people who have NEVER had their children in public schools.
All vouchers do is hurt the finances of the public education system, which serves EVERYONE, unlike private systems that choose their own students.
The end result is skyrocketing, unaffordable property taxes for NH residents and an ultimate decline in the quality of public education.
Vouchers have NEVER been shown ANYWHERE to have a better educational outcome for the vast majority of students.
Say NO to vouchers and their expansion.
—Giana Gelsey of Madbury, NH who is An Elected Official
Public Education is the only system that affords all walks of life the opportunity to educate and advance. Tax dollars would be better served going to our teachers and facilities in our accredited and proven school system that continues to be one of the lowest funded per student in the country. Please stop working so hard to defund and destroy our education system. Opportunities to excel, educate, and advance in life should not be only for those who are rich or Christian to obtain. Live free or die belongs to all demographics, faiths, and income levels within our state. Vote down hb115
—Curtis Register of Durham, NH who is An Elected Official
I firmly believe this bill will hurt the overall public education system and undermine the idea of a fair and equitable education for every child. Supporting a stronger public education is a far more universal and equitable use of our tax funds in the state
—Kevin Gray of Londonderry, NH who is An Elected Official
This adds to overall education spending while at the same time harming public schools
—Jennifer Morrissey of Brookline, NH, NH who is State Agency Staff
I am a former school board member and still very much involved in our public high school. I am very familiar with the stress that our taxpayers are under each year to fund much needed facilities upgrades and reasonable operational budgets. It has become unsustainable for many to support budgets that are lean but still contain increases that are out of the control of boards such as Health and Dental Increases and the state pushing down teacher retirement obligations to the towns. Many towns, including Amherst, are dealing with schools that have inadequate learning spaces and degrading infrastructure that are compromising our ability to provide a safe and adequate learning environment for our students and staff. Diverting money to school vouchers is creating monumental hardships on our public schools. Public dollars belong in Public Schools --- not private schools. Please do not allow school vouchers to be available to one and all no matter what their income. Public Schools deserve our support if we want to continue to be known as a state that values public education and excellence.
—Jeanne Ludt of Amherst, NH who is An Elected Official
I am a member of the Mason School Board (SAU 89). Our elementary school of roughly 100 students was recently ranked the best elementary school in the state.
We have one class at each grade so our costs are mostly fixed. It costs roughly the same amount to educate our class of 21 students as it does our class of 8. This law would decrease the amount of revenue for the school while the cost will stay virtually the same even if class sizes decreased. This will result in needing to increase local taxes to meet our fixed costs.
Thank you, Colin Robinson SAU 89 Vice Chairperson
—Colin Robinson of Mason, NH who is An Elected Official
I reject removing income limits on school vouchers. I encourage you to vote no on this bill and demand accountability on the voucher program already in place. Our public schools are already shortchanged at the state level - please do not add to to erosion of their funding with this bill.
—Julie Turner of Manchester, NH who is An Elected Official
At a time when we all recognize that the budget belt requires tightening, extending the school voucher program is an inappropriate and irresponsible move.
—Janet Lucas of Campton, NH who is An Elected Official
Good afternoon colleagues,
I write today on both my own behalf, and that of fellow citizen taxpayers who find this attempt to further downshift costs and burden taxpayers, both unreasonable and unjust.
Though not officially a ‘tax’, passing HB115 has the same effect and will increase the tax burden to already overwhelmed taxpayers.
At a time when NH state government revenue is down, and the state is already out of compliance with its constitutional obligations to appropriately fund its ‘public’ schools, it is fiscally irresponsible for NH state government to expect NH property taxpayers to fund EFA expansion.
As NH public schools spend approximately $20K per pupil on average… and the state of NH’s ‘share’ of education spending (about $4,800 per student) is the lowest in the nation… NH residents are left to pick up downshifted public education costs and thus, pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation!
Public dollars belong in public schools. NH taxpayers CANNOT afford for HB115 to pass. I ask that you please vote “No” on HB115.
Thank you for consideration.
Respectfully,
Rep. Nancy Murphy Merrimack/ Hills. 12
—Rep. Nancy Murphy of Merrimack, Hills. 12, NH who is An Elected Official, representing Merrimack/ Hillsborough 12
I am the Vice Chair of the Merrimack School Board (SAU 26.). As we build our budget for the 2025-2026 school year, homeowners in Merrimack, like other towns across our state are feeling the unsustainable burden of property taxes. We hear it time and time again throughout our budget process- especially this year and last year. The fact is that school districts across the state are doing a LOT with relatively little new funding. But as inflation, the cost of benefits, and teacher/support staff salaries have risen steadily over 20 years, state funding for education in NH has stagnated. We are receiving in Merrimack almost exactly what we were receiving 20 years ago. while costs have risen exponentially. NH’s adequacy grant is shameful. Add to that the gap in Special Education funding this year. (Where else can you owe money and just not pay it?) Those two things alone are like a millstone around the necks of homeowners in our state. Then when you allow individuals to use vouchers to remove money that is collected to pay for public schools to be used, instead, to fund private or home schooling for their child(ten), you further raise the burden on homeowners. In meeting after meeting our townspeople are saying they cannot afford to live here anymore and that is NOT a Merrimack issue. It is happening across the state. To our great shame. If I cannot take “my” tax dollars from the DPW in town to pave my driveway, then I absolutely should not be able to take “my” tax dollars from public schools to pay for my child to go elsewhere. Money collected for taxes belong to everyone in a community once they are collected, and should be used to invest in creating excellent, engaging, modern, thriving public schools that we can be proud of. Right now, both school districts AND homeowners are struggling. Do not pass any additional bill that takes even another dollar from public schools- to do so is shameful and will be an issue that will cost tenfold in years to come. NH is already 50th in state spending for education. Let’s not make it worse.
—Jenna Hardy of Merrimack, NH who is An Elected Official, representing Myself and my contituants
I am deeply opposed to this unconstitutional attempt to subvert our public schools. Diverting public money to private religious schools is unAmerican. Moreover, this particular bill is just a handout to wealthy people who are already sending their kids to private school and would place undue burdens on our citizens and tax payers.
—Gerald Ward of Portsmouth, NH who is An Elected Official
School Vouchers take money away from public schools. If the State cannot adequately fund our public schools to take the burden off of taxpayers then the voucher system must go. People who want to send their kids to private schools can pay to send their children fully out of their own pockets. It is not an equitable system.
—Alison Mastin of Wilmot, NH who is An Elected Official, representing Kearsarge Regional School District