New Hampshire’s legislature keeps ignoring the expressed will of the people, particularly with respect to school vouchers. When the voucher bill was originally before the House Education Committee, and subsequently when expansion of the vouchers was before the committee, sign-ins ran around 6-1 opposed to both the vouchers themselves and to expansion of the program. Just last week, Finance Committee Chair Wyler complained that too many people came before his committee to express their opposition to expanding the program.

If the legislature ultimately does impose universal vouchers upon us, New Hampshire residents should demand accountability, transparency, access and rigorous evaluation of the program. Students in the EFA program should be subject to the same testing regime as students in public schools, and the schools (or home-schoolers) should follow the minimum curriculum guidelines the state imposes on public schools. Annual financial audits should be required. The private schools to which our tax funds are going must be accessible to students with special needs and to all students regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation. There must be a program established for independent researchers to study student outcomes and evaluate whether our public funds are being spent wisely. Other states with universal voucher schemes have seen the rise of fly-by-night schools which sometimes close suddenly, leaving families high and dry. We must not let that occur in New Hampshire.

Mary Lincoln

Londonderry