HB1774

The Federal Government should have NO place in the Live Free or Die state - especially in education. Please Vote ITL.

This bill is absurd and so limiting for our students.

This seems to assume that the only reason for attending college is to get an income higher than than high school graduates aged 25-34. Just because an academic program's graduates may not meet this threshold does not make the field unworthy of study.

I oppose HB 1774. Some of the courses affected could be very important to providing educated qualified employees in jobs that are not lucrative but are needed. The solution would be to pay the people more, not deprive them of needed training. I was a social worker. In the state of NH I was not well paid, but nevertheless I worked in a needed profession.

HB 1774 represents a highly partisan restructuring of New Hampshire’s education ecosystem, sponsored exclusively by Republican legislators and aligned with national efforts to defund humanities, education, and social service fields. While framed as fiscal accountability, the bill externalizes structural labor inequities onto students and institutions, placing vulnerable populations at disproportionate risk. From a humanities perspective, the bill reflects an instrumentalist philosophy that reduces education to wage yield, undermining democratic values, civic development, and ethical stewardship of public goods. Without substantial revision, HB 1774 is likely to exacerbate inequality, destabilize institutions, and weaken New Hampshire’s long-term social and economic resilience.

I am a NH constituent and I strongly oppose this bill seeking to expand any voucher program and this one to allow an opt in option. As a taxpayer, I am angry that my tax dollars will be supporting a voucher program that takes money from public education to share with private school admissions and extra curricular activities.

Once again I find myself writing to this committee to state that I do support the expansion of educational vouchers in any form, a stance that the majority of New Hampshire residents share. Voucher programs cost more to administrate than public schools, with portions of the vouchers going to private and out-of-state companies, rather than benefiting students. There is no public oversight to the voucher programs or how the funds are used for homeschooling or at private schools. Additionally private schools do not have to have certified teachers, do not have educational requirements, and do not have to meet the same requirements and oversight that public schools do on all levels. Most flagrantly, these schools get to pick and choose which students they accep, unlike public schools which welcome and support all students, regardless of background, location, money, privilege, and special needs. Furthermore, in many areas of our state, there are no private school options within a reasonable distance for students, and for many students, providing their own transportation is also a barrier to attending private schools. All this to say that private schools and homeschooling is not an option for many students in our state, meaning vouchers do not provide an equal footing for students of all backgrounds. Additionally, the majority of parents in NH choose public schools for their students, preferring schools where their students can be a part of their community, engage with a diverse population, and be taught by certified staff with state oversight. NH residents have made it clear over and over again. We do not want school vouchers. We want funding for our public schools that the majority of NH students attend.

Please oppose this bill.

Support PUBLIC ED!

We don't need any more voucher programs help by unaccountable agencies. We need to invest in our public schools, not give out vouchers to people who don't need them.

I oppose this bill because it reduces transparency or public accountability and does not meaningfully improve outcomes for New Hampshire residents.

The state should not be dictating what path of study a student should take, or what fields of study are "valuable" vs "not". This will potentially harm the employment fields/cause shortages of primary, and secondary teachers, environmental studies scientists, nurses and related healthcare professionals, etc. All necessary occupations, All considered lower earning fields. But these fields are just a legitimate and very much needed by society. Not every student has the aptitude or desire to graduate into a venture capitalist firm, or attorney firm. Earning potential is not EVERY STUDENTS' main objective. Some have a sincere desire to serve the public. The state should not be punishing them financially for having that desire.

A better way to evaluate a program rather than "income outcomes" needs to be found. There are other values to a college education than just eventual income.

I oppose this bill's sponsors poor and biased attitude toward spending any money and targeting people who pursue an education that is deemed low. This is a dishonest way of chipping away at government programs and you should be ashamed for stooping to this level. You are on this earth for a limited amount of time. Why don't you give more and help more. How does it hurt to be kind and forgiving.

Students in NH have enough school choice. Don't make it easier to enroll in another voucher program. In addition, the state shouldn't interfere in determining higher education's degree offerings based on potential income earnings. This could inadvertently eliminate studies in subjects such as child care, where workers are notoriously underpaid, but vital.

I am a gun owner but OPPOSE the possession of firearms on school property unless it is certified, trained law enforcement NH police. I include our colleges and universities as well.

Freedom of speech is one of the Bill of Rights

I cannot support any bill that seeks to expand the voucher system and erode public education. Open enrollment is a recipe for just that. It puts a strain on already tight school budgets. It’s one thing to offer choice in districts that have several K-8 where parents could responsibly transport their child across town, but what about small districts with only one K-8? They would have to go to a different town, creating some really hard logistical situations, especially if both parents work. And once again, an unfunded mandate in a state that refuses to provide adequate aid to its schools is totally unacceptable and irresponsible.

No more voucher bills. Federal or state.

We don’t need more voucher expansion in the state and the scholarship organization the state contracted with has little to no accountability due to the state or taxpayers.

OPPOSE (S)(C) This bill would facilitate NH's enrollment in the new federal voucher program. We have enough "school choice" in NH. Also this bill would prohibit UNH from offering degrees in subjects that have "low income earning outcomes". The definition of that is complicated, but this could potentially prohibit the university from offering degree programs in preparation of careers in sectors that are important to our communities but historically underpaid. For example , child care workers.

As money gushes out of the public schools and tax rolls into the pockets of families most of whom didn't have their children in public schools anyway, it's clear we already have PLENTY of school choice.

Vouchers are destroying NH schools and bankrupting the state. Please kill this bill.

Just another attempt to undermine NH public education.