It’s encouraging to see broad agreement from New Hampshire’s Republican leadership that expanding school choice is a priority. The governor, House, and Senate have each put forward proposals to expand Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), showing a shared commitment that we need to provide more New Hampshire children with access to the best possible education.
While all these proposals are a step in the right direction, the Senate’s approach of universal eligibility combined with fairness and sustainability will best ensure that EFAs remain a great education option for generations to come.
What makes the Senate approach stand out is that it achieves universal eligibility in the most financially sound way. It is our job and obligation as legislators to protect the New Hampshire advantage and the taxpayers first. Our state values our low taxes and responsible government that keeps spending in check to prevent us from falling victim to a sales or income tax.
One of our most important roles as legislators is to pass budgets that are responsible, both now and in the future. The Senate proposal does that by expanding EFA enrollment with an annual cap that allows increasingly more students to take advantage of the program each year. To be clear, we believe the program should continue its impressive growth. That’s why the Senate bill’s target is 10,000 students – a number that is almost double the latest program enrollment per the Department of Education.
This significant increase is important for two reasons – fairness and universal eligibility to access the program. First, we make sure the state’s most needy students – lower-income families and students with disabilities – are at the front of the line for the new spots in the program. Our proposal makes every child in New Hampshire eligible to apply for the program. This doubling of the program makes acceptance a realistic opportunity. Lastly, these concepts are so important that if the program popularity causes applications to get close to the enrollment limit, we automatically increase the enrollment cap by 25 percent in the following year.
The Senate approach makes both students who are currently enrolled in public schools and students who are currently enrolled in private schools eligible for the expanded EFA program. We believe that it is important to create true universal eligibility.
Referring to state data on average wages for New Hampshire workers makes clear why a “half-universal” approach that doesn’t allow those currently in private schools is inadequate. If a registered nurse and a construction worker raising three kids were already private school parents, they’d be ineligible. Same for a police officer and a childcare worker with one child, or a single mom with one child who works as a registered nurse. These people are hardly wealthy, but if they prioritize education and have already made significant financial sacrifices to afford private school — they are blocked from the program – and that’s wrong.
The Senate’s plan offers the most comprehensive path forward on an issue that there is broad agreement on— one that expands access broadly and fairly while also ensuring long-term budget stability. By combining opportunity with budget sustainability, we strengthen EFAs and empower more families to choose the education that best fits their children’s needs.
This plan meets the primary concerns of the governor, House and Senate. Most importantly, it works for all of New Hampshire.
