HB1623

As both an educator and a mom with a child in a public charter school, I strongly oppose this proposal. Charter schools are unique communities with their own missions and student needs. Many families choose them because their children weren’t able to thrive in a traditional public school setting. That means every charter school looks a little different, and many serve students who need special education services to succeed. This bill doesn’t take into account how charter schools actually operate. Special education is already underfunded across the state, and charter schools often have to stretch every dollar to meet their students’ needs. Charter schools in New Hampshire already work with much smaller budgets than traditional public schools. A uniform pay structure would push many of them to cut staff, combine roles, or stretch educators even thinner than they already are. While a few schools might be able to absorb the cost, those schools should be supported individually—not used as the basis for a statewide mandate that hurts everyone else. Charter schools were created to be flexible and innovative. A one-size-fits-all pay structure takes away that flexibility and punishes schools for doing exactly what they were designed to do: meet students’ needs in creative, individualized ways. Special education funding exists to make sure students with unique needs get the support they deserve. Without proper funding, these students fall through the cracks during some of the most important years of their lives. Many already struggle to meet state expectations, and reducing their access to accommodations would only make things harder for them. For all these reasons, I urge lawmakers to reconsider this proposal. If the goal is to improve pay for special education educators, then the solution has to include more funding—not an unfunded mandate that puts charter schools and their students at risk. A better approach would be to increase special education funding, keep flexibility in how charter schools structure pay, and support hiring and retaining educators in ways that fit each school’s unique community

I strongly oppose HB 1623. Every charter school is different, different staff, programs, and costs. A one size fits all billing rate would limit the ability to pay skilled educational assistants and one on one staff fairly, potentially lowering the quality of services for students with special needs. Charter schools often wait months for reimbursement, so keeping control over the rates is essential to continue providing timely, high-quality support.

The Great Bay Charter School Administrative Team opposes HB 1623, a proposed bill that would require "charter schools to have uniform and transparent billing costs and practices for special education services. No chartered public school or school district shall charge a non-uniform rate for the same special education service.” This bill would ultimately fail to recognize the unique needs and circumstances of individual charter schools and districts, in varying regions throughout the state, in terms of special education service provision. Charter schools have different systems and different costs for providing special education services, just as district schools do. Some charter schools are able to offer a broader range of services than others, but may have to contract out to individuals or agencies in order to do so. These costs are often different, based on the area in which a particular school is located, and would still require reimbursement of service cost, likely at a varying (non-uniform) rate. Imposing a one-size-fits-all approach to billing/rate setting would undermine the flexibility that enables charter schools to effectively deliver specialized support. Great Bay Charter School has already experienced the withholding of payment for specialized services from some districts who have decided that the NH State MOU language is not adequate, and even after transparency of cost from Great Bay, the districts have continued to state that they will not reimburse after Great Bay has provided these specialized services to its students in good faith effort. Charter schools are independent entities and need to be able to have independent control over their rates, based on real costs. The potential of this bill will likely create financial strain on charter schools, particularly those serving higher populations of students with disabilities, such as Great Bay Charter School, where approximately 40% of our student population require specialized services. Reimbursement rates set by legislation will unlikely accurately reflect the true costs of providing specialized services, and will ultimately jeopardize the sustainability of these programs, and return all specialized services back to the LEA, who are in many cases already understaffed and unable to provide these themselves. Great Bay Charter School opposes HB1623 as it undermines the essential autonomy that charter schools need to thrive as independent educational entities. This bill fails to account for the diverse operational realities and financial needs of our charter, and of all charter schools, which are vital for effectively serving students with disabilities. Sincerely, The Great Bay Charter School Administrative Team

Position on HB 1623 Oppose The New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools respectfully opposes HB 1623. While we support transparency and accountability in the provision of special education services, this bill does not reflect the operational realities of chartered public schools or the variability in how special education services are delivered and funded across the state. Charter schools, like school districts, operate under different systems and incur different costs when providing special education services. The scope and availability of special education services varies among charter schools, resulting in differing cost structures. Compensation for special education personnel varies significantly based on geographic location and local labor markets. Charter schools often experience significant delays in reimbursement after billing a school district, frequently waiting three to five months for payment, and sometimes longer. As independent public schools, charter schools must retain independent control over their rates in order to reflect actual costs, manage financial risk, and continue providing appropriate services to students with disabilities.