CONCORD — The following is a statement from New Hampshire School Administrators Association (NHSAA) Executive Director Carl Ladd following the House Education Committee’s 20-0 vote today to retain House Bill 20:
“It is a tremendous relief to see this legislation set aside for the time being, as HB 20 and the ‘Education Freedom Accounts’ or vouchers it proposes have the potential to seriously jeopardize the integrity of our public education system in New Hampshire.
“We, the NHSAA, are thankful the House Education Committee has decided to discuss the questions regarding this bill further at a later date. However, our hope going forward is that our concerns about the inequity this bill could foster in addition to the financial impact it could have on our state are not dismissed.
“Three additional bills continue to be discussed by our legislature which could negatively impact public education in New Hampshire: HB 607, HB 609 and HB 455.
“We encourage everyone to learn more about these bills and voice their concerns to their local representatives. These bills all interconnect and maintain a theme of ambiguity and lack of detail which could be supremely detrimental. HB 609 proposes the creation of innovation schools, for instance, but fails to define innovation, identify metrics to measure student achievement and also includes no information about the financial ramifications the establishment of these schools could have.
“We, the NHSAA, will continue to share additional information about these bills.
“New Hampshire has a robust, skilled core of public educators and an education system which remains one of the top in the country. We are doing great work, preparing our young people to be capable, knowledgeable and engaged citizens. These bills could weaken that system, an asset which I believe firmly we should be fortifying in the midst of a pandemic that has significantly strained our schools already. There is much work still to do, and we will continue using our voice to advocate in favor of public education in our great state.”
About NHSAA
NHSAA is a nonprofit organization serving approximately 275 members and is dedicated to providing the best possible public education for the children of New Hampshire. Membership of NHSAA includes superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents, school business officials, special education directors, curriculum coordinators and other system administrators.
NHSAA provides its membership with professional development training and conference opportunities as well as myriad resources to support their role as educators, and also honors educational professionals statewide with annual awards including Superintendent of the Year, the Outstanding Service Award and Champions for Children.
To learn more, visit NHSAA’s website by clicking here.
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