Garry Rayno of InDepthNH reports on opposition to the funding of New Hampshire’s expansive voucher plan, which has never been submitted to a public referendum. A lawsuit has been filed to block the use of public school funds for unaccountable vouchers. The voucher program, serving mostly kids who already attend students in private and religious schools, is far more expensive that its sponsor low-ball projections.
CONCORD — A bill to expand the uses for the state’s Education Trust Fund ran into opposition Friday as opponents said it would give the new Education Freedom Account program a blank check without accountability.
The prime sponsor of House Bill 440, Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, said the bill simply “cleans up and codifies” what is in legislation elsewhere in statutes and comes at the Department of Education’s request. He noted the current trust fund statute does not address money for kindergarten or leases for charter schools.
“This bill clarifies (sections of law),” Cordelli said, “so there is a full picture of what comes out of the Education Trust Fund.”
However, those testifying in opposition at a public hearing Friday before the House Education Committee, said the bill is not a “housekeeping measure” but an attempt to divert millions of dollars to the Education Freedom Account program from public schools without sufficient accountability.
“The program was funded for two years as a pilot program and now you are giving it a blank check,” said David Trumble. “Why take a huge gamble. You built a program with no foundation for it and now you want to build a tall skyscraper on it.”
HB 440 would allow the Education Trust Fund to be used to pay for Education Freedom Account grants to parents and for phase-out grants to school districts losing students to the program.
The bill also changes the funding for the state’s portion for charter school leases from the general fund to the Education Trust Fund.
The Department of Education would be able to use 1 percent of the money in the Education Trust Fund to administer the EFA program, under the bill.
The Legislative Budget Assistant was not able to determine the cost of the changes in the bill because the department had not responded at the time of the bill’s printing, but noted the 1 percent going to the department would be $10.6 million in the current fiscal year, and $11 million in fiscal year 2024 and $11 million in fiscal year 2025.
The use of the fund for the EFA program is being challenged in court as the plaintiffs claim the program uses money earmarked for public education for private programs.
The suit challenging the funding for what has been described as the most expansive voucher program in the country, claims money raised by the Lottery Commission, and money from the Education Trust Fund may only be used for adequate education grants to school districts, citing the law creating the fund in 1999.
The suit, brought by Deb Howes as a citizen taxpayer, who is also president of AFT (American Federation of Teachers)-New Hampshire, seeks an injunction blocking the state from using any more of the Trust Fund Money to fund the EFA program.
Speaking at the public hearing, Howes reiterated her opposition to the bill, saying it is not a housekeeping measure.
“If money is coming out of (the Education Trust Fund),” she said, “does not mean it should be coming out of it.”
Public school and district tax money is not limitless, Howes said, noting it is all coming out of taxpayers pockets.
“When you run short of money,” Howes said, “you are going to shortchange the 160,000 kids in public schools.”
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
Typo in headline!
Thank you, Callisto! Fixed.
Privatization has always been about transferring accountable public funds into unaccountable private pockets. The fact that it has produced no better academic results, and it harms the functioning of the public schools is ignored. These political rogues want to use public school budgets like ATMs regardless of the consequences. When the state laws impede their vandalism, they try to create a way to bypass state laws. Brava to Deb Howes for standing up for the common good.
Glenn Cordelli-
“Time for the N.H. legislature to repeal anti-religious laws” and, from a different publication, “Cordelli: Why is anti-Catholic amendment still in N.H…”
The biggest threat to public schools comes from the religious right- conservative Catholics and protestant evangelicals.
Recommended reading- at the Dissent website, Spring 2020, “Nudging toward Theocracy: Adrian Vermuele’s War on Liberalism.” Excerpts follow, “One of the most serious and dangerous critics of liberalism today is Harvard Law Professor, conservative Catholic, Adrian Vermuele.” He is a defender of integralism- the state subordinated to the Catholic Church. He received funding from the John M. Olin Foundation. Vermuele collaborated with Posner…both of them look to the German jurist (and, prominent Nazi), Carl Schmitt, for their analysis and recommendations about branches of government. Vermuele clerked for Antonin Scalia. In his earliest works, he thanked John Yoo (who clerked for Clarence Thomas). Yoo became notorious for defending the Bush admin’s policies on torture. Vermuele dreams of a world in which we will, “sear the liberal faith with hot irons.”
Imagine if Vermuele had said immigrants who were men, or who were White should receive preference in the queue, there would be outcry. Instead, he said, Catholics should be given preference. Any outcry at Harvard?