Checking in on Crossover
April 29th, 2026
March 26 marked the halfway point of the 2026 legislative session. At this point, bills have either “crossed over” – gone from one chamber to another – or died. Explore the series below to better understand which bills made it to Crossover, which didn’t, and what we’re watching as the session marches on.
Vouchers
The legislature continues to be a pro-voucher environment, but lawmakers did choose not to remove the cap on the Education Freedom Account program this year because of concerns about costs.
Local Control
Local control has long been a cornerstone of New Hampshire’s approach to public education and to governance in general. While the state provides a framework for education, local districts have quite a bit of latitude in deciding how best to serve their students within that framework. Residents who want to change how their school operates can easily make their voices heard. In most towns, decisions about school budgets and critical school policies are a two-part process, with a discussion-based deliberative session preceding a town vote. Bills making their way through the legislature this year attempt, in various ways, to erode that local control, dictating what districts must do or changing how they make decisions.
Teaching & Learning
Bills related to the teaching and learning experience spanned a variety of topics, from bullying to recess, book bans, curriculum changes, and teacher requirements. Here, we summarize some of the important bills and themes.
School Funding
In short, no meaningful improvement will be made to school funding this year. Bills to increase funding failed, bills to decrease revenue have survived, and the legislature has gone out of its way to undermine the court’s ruling that NH’s school funding is insufficient. The result is that schools, particularly those in property poor communities, will continue to have to do more with less, and property tax payers will not see any relief.
Webinar - Crossover: Where We Are and Where We Are Going
On April 1st, Reaching Higher hosted Crossover: Where We Are and Where We Are Going. This webinar was the second in our Policy Pulse Series. The conversation, facilitated by Nicole Heimarck, Executive Director of Reaching Higher NH, centered on a deep dive into bills involving teaching, learning, funding, vouchers, open enrollment, and local control.