NHDP - Will Sens Odell, Stiles Stand up for NH Students Or the O'Brien-Bradley Tea Party?

Will Republicans turn taxpayer money over to a radical, out of state organization?

Concord - When the New Hampshire State Senate takes up repeal of a misguided education voucher passed by the Jeb Bradley and Bill O'Brien led Tea Party legislature today, all eyes will be on Senators Bob Odell and Nancy Stiles.  With re-election contests just a few months away both Stiles and Odell voted against this irresponsible attack on public schools in 2012.  But today, Majority Leader Jeb Bradley is counting on them to flip flop, table HB370, and refuse to vote for repeal of his reckless education voucher.

"The question on the minds of parents, students, and educators across the state today is will Stiles and Odell stand with them?  Or will they turn their backs on New Hampshire's public education system and vote to support Jeb Bradley and Bill O'Brien's Tea Party agenda?" asked New Hampshire Democratic Party communications director Harrell Kirstein.  "Voting for anything than 'ought to pass' is clear sign Odell and Stiles no longer can be counted on to defend New Hampshire public school students."

The education voucher program could cost New Hampshire public schools 90 million dollars over ten years, divert that funding to private and religious schools, and downshift costs to local communities and property tax payers.  It would be administered by a fiscally irresponsible out of state organization, the Network for Educational Opportunity whose president is dedicated to showing "how and why government schooling is so harmful to children."  He compares American public schools to opposition to Hilter's "takeover of German's schools."  And concludes that public schools foster "dependency." [schoolandstate.org]

"This is radical right wing organization intent on destroying public education in New Hampshire and across the country.  They should not be involved in allocating New Hampshire citizens hard-earned tax dollars," said Kirstein.  "The choice for Odell and Stiles is simple.  Do you stand with New Hampshire students or Jeb Bradley and this radical out of state anti-education organization?"

Legislators File Amicus Brief to Support New Hampshire New Education Choice Law

Rep. William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) announced today that he is filing a friend-of–the-court brief as local counsel for the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of seven present and former legislators in the Stafford County case of Duncan, et al v. the State of New Hampshire. 

In order to protect union-dominated public education, in the Duncan case plaintiffs seek to deny children from low and moderate-income families the opportunity to receive private scholarships funded by education tax credits. Those scholarships would be paid by businesses to go to elementary and high schools chosen by the students and their parents. 

Included among the legislators named on the brief are Senators Jim Forsythe, Fenton Groen and Andy Sanborn, and Representatives Mike Balboni, Greg Hill, William O’Brien and Pam Tucker. These legislators comprise the prime legislators who supported, drafted and debated the Education Tax Credit Program last term. The Pacific Legal Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful non-profit, pro-liberty legal organizations. Joshua Thompson, an attorney with Pacific Legal, explained that the group represents the legislators without charge.  

Rep. O’Brien was quoted as saying, “It is our intent as present and former legislators who worked so hard for this law to make clear for the court that part of the plaintiffs’ argument against the law – that we supported the law to support religious schools – is simply not true.  It has no more relevancy or validity than if that argument had been brought against Congress 65 years ago to oppose another education scholarship opportunity program, the GI Bill, just because some funds might go to religiously founded schools. Our educational system is too often failing our children. Giving families of limited means the choice to find the best education for their children, directly benefits them and through competition, will improve public education in New Hampshire.”

It is anticipated that the Duncan case will reach the New Hampshire Supreme Court and these legislators will continue their efforts in the case to promote freedom of educational choices for New Hampshire families.

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William O’Brien is a state representative from Mont Vernon, serving his fourth term in the New Hampshire House, and a licensed attorney in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

Pacific Legal Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt legal foundation organized to provide a voice in the courts for mainstream Americans who believe in limited government, private property rights, individual freedom and free enterprise.  It has offices in four states and is headquartered at 930 G Street, Sacramento, California 95814; website http://www.pacificlegal.org/home ; blog:http://blog.pacificlegal.org/ .

NHCIS - HB2 tragic for public charter school students

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES THE MOST HARMFUL CHARTER SCHOOL LEGISLATION SEEN IN OVER A DECADE Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to support the most extreme, anti-charter school legislation that the state has seen in well over a decade. The provisions tucked inside HB2 circumvent the normal democratic process and throw New Hampshire's children under the bus of some very well paid lobbyists in Concord. A number of amendments were put forward in an effort to try and protect public charter schools however each was defeated, virtually along party lines. What is HB2? HB2 is the companion bill to the state budget bill HB1. Why do charter school opponents use HB2? Because it allows them to bypass the regular democratic process and skip public policy hearings in House Education. Because the House is only required to vote for the changes once as part of a much larger bill, i.e. it's easier to hide them. Because it makes it harder for the public to identify who proposed the changes. Because their lobbyists don't need to testify against public charter schools in open policy hearings that the public can witness. What provisions are included in HB2? The provisions in HB2 are particularly obscene as a number of them would clearly discriminate against public charter schools students. These provisions are the legislative equivalent, of injecting the charter school law with some horrific disease. HB2 would cut charter school funding by $2.5 million. It would not cut aid to district schools, it would increase it. HB2 would place a two year moratorium on new charter schools. This would likely result in the loss of $5.6 million in remaining grant funds. HB2 would release the Department of Education from its duty to apply for all federal funding for public charter schools. It would not do so for district schools. HB2 would remove a protection that allows the legislature flexibility for charter expenditures. It would not do so for district schools. (RSA 198:42 II) HB2 would require that charter schools perform program audits every 3 years, it is currently every 5 years. HB2 would require the Board of Education to approve changes in enrollment. HB2 would create a "study committee" consisting of legislators. The committee would likely be political in nature and lacks a neutral, third party evaluator experienced in the evaluation of public charter schools.

About NHCIS The New Hampshire Center for Innovative Schools is a NH registered non-profit whose members are committed to helping inspire the creation of innovative public schools in New Hampshire. We offer assistance to all New Hampshire charter schools and groups wanting to learn more about these innovative programs. Our services are free, we do not charge or accept payment for our assistance.

ALG's Daily Grind - House Democrats repeat Sandy sequester lie

March 21, 2013

House Democrats repeat Sandy sequester lie

Connecticut Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro claims sequester-exempted Sandy spending was sequestered, cites general agency cuts unrelated to Sandy as proof.

Bubbles Bursting In Mid-Air

With student debt now exceeding total credit card debt, college and the accompanying debt may be the next bubble waiting its turn to burst.

Hiding the slaughter

Since the early 1980s, with exposed blade tips spinning in open space at speeds up to 200 mph the wind industry has known there is no way its propeller-style turbines could ever be safe for raptors. It was impossible.

Stossel: Unions are still bad for education

"Kids are assigned to schools, and a bureaucracy decides who goes where and who learns what. Over time, its tentacles expand and strangle attempts to reform. Since they have no fear of losing their jobs to competitors, [education] monopoly bureaucrats can resist innovation for decades."

NH House Republican Alliance comments on HB299 vote in Finance

The NH House Finance today recommended Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 299 which would have removed a moratorium on Charter Schools.  HRA co-chair Pam Tucker stated, "HB 299 would have funded our public charter schools and given more choices in education to our students.  This terrible party line decision jeopardizes the future of new charter schools in our state and federal funding we might receive for existing schools.  While members of the house preach they want excellence in education, these actions state exactly the opposite."