This week: What’s in the Budget for Education? Plus, a Slow Week Before March Heats Up!

February 26th, 2025

This week, the New Hampshire Senate is on winter recess, and the House has a lighter schedule. Next week, during the first week of March, the legislature will return to a busy agenda of hearings and executive sessions focused on several education bills. Starting Monday, March 3, many committees will hold hearings and executive sessions on local school vouchers, the parental bill of rights, and NHED subpoena power.

Unpacking the Governor's Proposed Budget

Last Wednesday, the Reaching Higher NH team hosted a webinar discussing the key education policy takeaways from the governor's proposed budget. Watch a recording of the webinar here and view the slides here. 

Here are our main takeaways: 

  • School Voucher Expansion:

    • Removes income eligibility for public and charter school students enrolling in the voucher program.

    • The budget increases to $29M in FY2026 and $44M in FY2027.

  • Special Education Reimbursement Aid:

    • Increases reimbursements for special education.

    • No guarantee that 2024 reimbursement requests will be fully funded.

  • Charter Schools:

    • Federal grant of $46M over five years for expansion.

    • Increases budget for state funding by 11%.

  • Public School (Safety) Infrastructure Fund:

    • 2025 authorized: $0.

    • 26-27 proposed: $10 million over the biennium, plus staff.

  • Dual & Concurrent Enrollment:

    • Provides up to 4 tuition-free courses per year for high school students earning college credit through CCSNH for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.

    • Budget increases from $2.5M (2024-25) to $3M (2026-27).

  • Public School Funding Formula:

    • No changes to the statewide school funding formula.

    • In the current statute, per-student grants and differentiated aid amounts increase 2% per year.

  • School Building Aid:

    • Budget for 2024-25: $78.6M.

    • Decreases budget for 2026-27: $26.8M in “tail” payments.

  • Additional Policy Changes:

    • Ban on cell phones during school hours, with $1M in grant funding to support school board implementation.

    • Less funding for the University System of New Hampshire ($199m --> $182m).

    • Authorizing electronic gaming machines, using 50% of the proceeds for the Education Trust Fund.

For more information about our main takeaways, watch our most recent webinar: Unpacking the Governor's Proposed Budget 

Turnout for Bill Establishing Parental Bill of Rights

Last Tuesday, the House Children and Family Law Committee held a public hearing on HB 10, establishing a parental bill of rights. While it is different from the versions of the previous years, there are significant concerns about the ambiguity of some of the language. The hearing on Tuesday had a significant turnout, with online opposition to this bill 1,208, support 174, and neutral 2.

HB 10 has an executive session scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, at 11:00 am in LOB 206-208, and the committee will vote on a recommendation.

Open Enrollment

Last Tuesday, the House Education Policy and Administration Committee held public hearings on two bills: HB 741, allowing parents to send their children to any school district they choose, and open enrollment bill HB 709, which allows parents or guardians to admit their children into any school district where they pay any property or school district taxes. Many who testified against HB 741 argued that moving students between districts could strain school budgets, increase inequities by favoring families with more resources, and create unpredictability in enrollment and staffing for schools and districts. “How do you budget for this? Schools set budgets annually, yet this bill requires monthly updates on school capacity. That level of uncertainty will create financial chaos.” stated David Trumble, a resident of Weare. Online opposition to this bill was 436, support 35, and neutral 2.

HB 709 has an executive session scheduled for Wednesday, March 05, 09:30 am in LOB 205-207, and the committee will vote on a recommendation. Stay tuned for updates on HB 741. 

What to Expect the Next Few Weeks

This week, the Senate is on winter recess, and the House has a much lighter calendar. Here are some important bills to follow in the next couple of weeks:

  • HOUSE EDUCATION FUNDING WORK SESSION: The meeting we will closely monitor this week is the Full Committee Work Session for a handful of important school funding bills in House Education Funding at 10:00 am LOB 205-207 on Tuesday, February 25. 

  • LOCAL EDUCATION FREEDOM ACCOUNTS: On Monday, March 3, both the hearing and executive session for HB 748, the Local Education Freedom Account bill, are set to take place. The hearing for HB 738 is scheduled for 9:30 am in the House Education Policy and Administration Committee LOB 205-207, and the executive session where they will vote on a recommendation for the bill is scheduled for 1:00 pm in the same committee and room. 

  • NHED SUBPOENA BILL: The hearing for HB 520, which concerns authorizing hearing officers of the Department of Education to issue subpoenas, is scheduled for March 5 at 9:00 am LOB 206-208 in the House Judiciary Committee. Read more about last years version of the bill here:  Revived bill would give the NH Department of Education the power to subpoena teachers investigation

  • PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS: The executive session for HB 10, which establishes a parental bill of rights, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, in the House Committee on Children and Family Law at 11:00 am.

Have a question? Contact us.  Stay in the know and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and join the New Hampshire Education Network (NHEN), our network of New Hampshire parents, educators, business leaders, and community members to stay up to date on the latest developments in education policy.