Introducing Alex’s notebook and the 2026 legislative session

January 1st, 2026

Notes from the Margins:

Introducing Alex’s notebook and the 2026 legislative session

Welcome to the first entry in Alex’s (my) notebook! 

First, a little bit about me, and about this effort. I grew up in Londonderry and later Mont Vernon, attending Catholic school (my parents’ choice), public school (my choice), and private boarding school (also my choice, and the subject of significant financial negotiation with my parents). I went to college in Los Angeles, where I volunteered at local middle schools and assisted in research on teacher contracts. After graduation, I had a brief stint as a higher education reporter, spent some time leading trips in the mountains of Colorado, worked at an education nonprofit in New York City, and eventually landed at the Urban Institute in DC, where I spent 10 years helping to build and grow a program of education policy research. By and large, I had great educational experiences, and my career has been driven by a passion for making sure every kid has a chance to love school as much as I did. That begins with making sure that public schools, which serve 90% of Granite State students, are thriving. (I also know from working in research just how big a difference education can make for an individual and a community.)

Fast forward to 2026, and I’m entering my first legislative session as Reaching Higher NH’s policy director. It is a tough time for public education in New Hampshire, with bills that at once impose more requirements on educators and school boards and cut funding, asking schools to do more with less. The school-aged population is declining, the state is directing more of its limited revenues to private schools and education providers, and teachers are increasingly facing the threat of legal action. 

But there are bright lights, too. NH students continue to outperform most other states on national tests. Towns are repeatedly rejecting school budget caps, demonstrating a commitment to local public schools. And Bow teachers Loralyn LaBombard (my brilliant neighbor here in Concord) and Kerri Harris were recently featured in a national publication for their innovative work in reading instruction; just one of many examples of how our dedicated public school teachers are leading the field in service to our students.

Our goal as an organization this session is to help ensure that public schools have the resources and autonomy they need to support innovative practices, to attract dedicated teachers, and most importantly to provide a high-quality experience for NH’s students. To do that, we’ll provide research and analysis of proposed bills, highlight stories from New Hampshire communities, and host webinars and conversations to help you make sense of the issues. You can stay up to date on all of that work by signing up for our email newsletter, which will come out weekly during the session. 

But sometimes weekly updates aren’t enough, and sometimes rigorous research is not what the moment demands. That’s where this new blog, Alex’s notebook, comes in. Through this blog, I’ll provide quick updates from the State House (or Granite Place), provide deep dives on key bills, break down some of the more complex policy issues, offer commentary and context, and occasionally attempt to read the political tea leaves. This blog is meant to be a living record of the legislative session. It’s a companion to our bread-and-butter research and analysis, and we hope, maybe, it will be kind of fun. 

We welcome your feedback along the way. Have ideas for something we should write about? Have a policy question you need answered? Think we got something wrong? Email staff@reachinghighernh.org. We’re glad to have you on this journey with us. Now, on to the 2026 session!

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