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"Defending New Hampshire Public Education" provides resources for citizens concerned about New Hampshire education.

The most interesting articles in each section are shown in the menu but there are normally many more articles under the main heading (except that all the New Hampshire legislation is shown).  You can page down through those or just do a search to find what you are interested in.

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Your Legislators' Education Scores

The spreadsheet below tabulates each legislator's level of support for each education bill shown.  This will change during the session as new bills are introduced and voted upon.

If the results look partisan, with most Republicans getting low scores and most Democrats getting high scores, look at the selection of votes listed below.  The votes have been selected strictly for their relevance to public education in New Hampshire.  A legislator who supports an anti-education bill gets a lower score.  I legislator who votes against it gets a higher score.  If you disagree with the characterization of a bill as anti-public education, please contact us, here, and we'll discuss it.
 

Here are the tabulated votes:

The 2011 Legislative Session

HB 429 to lower the school dropout age.  

In the House, the vote date was 03/15/2011 Vote#: 71 Question/Motion: OUGHT TO PASS.  A Yea is a hard core anti-education vote.  

In the Senate: 06/01/2011 Vote#: 82 Question/Motion: Inexpedient to Legislate.  A Nay is an anti-education vote.

HB 631 to repeal universal kindergarten

In the House, 02/23/2011 Vote#: 32 Question/Motion: ITL  A Yea is a vote for public education; a Nay is a hard core anti-education vote.

HB 542 started out as a repeal of compulsory school attendance and became a bill to require school systems to develop an alternate curriculum when parents object to course content.

In the House, 06/22/2011 Vote#: 238 Question/Motion: ADOPT COC REPORT #2422C) A Nay is pro-education and against leadership; a Yea is hard core anti-education.

In the Senate, 06/22/2011 Vote#: 93 Question/Motion: Conference Committee Report 2422.  A Nay is a pro-education vote.  A Yea is hard core anti-education

SB 340 to provide tax abatements for parents keeping kids out of school 

In the House, 03/16/2011 Vote#: 90 Question/Motion: ITL) A Yea is pro education and against leadership; a Nay is very hard core ant-education.

HB 337 to lower the calculation of adequacy grants.  

In the House, 06/22/2011 Vote#: 236 Question/Motion: ADOPT COC REPORT 2502C.  A Yea vote is a vote for reducing adequacy and against public education.  A Nay is a vote against reducing the cost of adequacy.

HCR 26 to nullify the Claremont decision

There was no floor vote on this resolution but the Prime Sponsor and Co-sponsors receive points in the scoring.

HB 39 to lower school standards

There was no floor vote on this resolution but the Prime Sponsor and Co-sponsors receive points in the scoring.

HB 301, to amend home education statutes

There was no floor vote on this resolution but the Prime Sponsor and Co-sponsors receive points in the scoring.

HB 545, repealing DOE ability to regulate home schooling

There was no floor vote on this resolution but the Prime Sponsor and Co-sponsors receive points in the scoring.

HB 595, on complsory attendance and home schooling

There was no floor vote on this resolution but the Prime Sponsor and Co-sponsors receive points in the scoring.

CACR 12, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the Legislature sole authority over public education funding, without appeal to the courts, but would not require equalization or funding of any kind.  A Yea vote is considered a hard core anti-public education vote.


The 2012 Legislative Session

There has been no floor action on most of these, but the Prime and Co-sponsores received points in the scoring.  As the votes come, they will be added to the scoring.  There are committee meetings scheduled on most of them.  Check the DNHPE home page for the the schedule.

CACR 31 relating to parental rights

HB 1148 requiring the teaching of evolution as a theory in public schools

HB 1162 committee on the effects of compulsory school attendance on children and families

HB 1167 repealing the 180 day school year requirement

HB1360 * relative to the rulemaking authority of the state board of education

HB1382 parents approval for alternative learning plans and returning a truant

HB 1403 * withdrawing a child school district with the international baccalaureate program

HB 1424-FN * a parent's conscientious objection to a school or curriculum

HB 1413-FN* directing New Hampshire to withdraw from the No Child Left Behind Act.

HB 1517-FN-L * prohibiting state participation in No Child Left Behind Act without prior approval of the general court.

HB 542 Veto Override to repeal compulsory school attendance. 

HB 542 Veto Override: Vote Date: 11/30/2011 Vote#: 266 Question/Motion: SHALL HB 542 BECOME LAW? a Nay is agaiinst leadership and for education

Scoring: scored 2 only those who had not voted in the original vote.

Veto Override: Vote Date: 1/4/12 Vote#: 273 Question/Motion: SHALL HB 542 BECOME LAW? a Nay is agaiinst leadership and for education.

Scoring:  2 if a vote switched from Nay to Yea.

The override succeeded on this second try.  Analysis is here

HB 219 to establish a committee to study disbanding DOE

In the House, Vote Date: 1/5/12, Vote #23, Motion OTP/AM 2755 AH(NT) (Ought to Pass as amended).  This was no longer about dibanding DOE but restricting their authority to make rules.  See our write up.

In the Senate, no vote yet 


Scoring

Legislators are graded as we sometimes were in school - on a curve.  The legislator with the worst score - that is voted against public education the most - gets a zero and the most supportive gets a 100.   The rest of the normalized scores are placed proportionately between those two extremes. 

Then they get a letter grade based on their numeric score: 90 and above is an A, 80-90, a B, etc.  Below 50 is an F-.  

Is scoring summary is shown below.  You can see the Senate score by clicking on the link at the bottom.  You can go to the House member or Senator's legislative web page by clicking on the name.

You can also sort by grade, town, county, etc.  To do that, click on the link at the bottom that opens up the spreadsheet itself.

The scoring method and a link to the detailed scoring spreadsheet are below.

Legislator Education Scores Summary January 12 2012




Explanation of the scoring system
  • An "anti-education" vote is worth 1 point in the scoring.  A "pro-education" vote on the same bill is -1, except where sponsors votes against their own bill.  In that case, the assumption is that there have been provisions added that they did not like but that the intention represented by the original sponsorship still pertains.
  • A "hard core anti-education" vote worth 2 points.  Defining "hard core" is admittedly subjective but is intended to indicate a defining vote like a vote to reduce the dropout age or eliminate kindergarten, where there really do not seem to be two sides to the story.  A "pro-education" vote on a hard core anti-education bill is scored as  -2, except where sponsors votes against their own bill.   In that case, the assumption is that there have been provisions added that they did not like but that the intention represented by the original sponsorship still pertains.
  • Co-sponsors of an anti-education bill or LSR are indicated with a "CS" and that is worth 3 points in the scoring.  LSRs are only scored if the anti-education intention is clear.
  • The prime sponsor of an anti-education measure is indicated with a "PS" and that is worth 5 points.
  • If a member visibly lobbied for or against an anti-education bill, that is indicated with an L and worth 4 (or -4) points.
Bills in support of home schooling are not necessarily anit-public education bills.  However, if a bill reduces accountability or uses public money for home schooling, it is considered anti-education for scoring purposes.

The scoring detail worksheet is here.