GOP bill to slash public education requirements in N.H. draws strong opposition
Of the 11 areas mandated, the proposal would leave six intact: English/language arts and reading, mathematics, science, social studies, health and wellness, and physical education.
During a hearing Monday, Republican Dan McGuire, an Epsom Republican, said he sponsored House Bill 283 because he believes New Hampshire students are underperforming on tests in key areas like math, reading, and science. On the latest Nation's Report Card released last month, New Hampshire students made some gains in reading and math, scoring above the national average after suffering learning loss related to the pandemic.
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The more subjects students are required to learn by state law, McGuire reasoned, the less time is dedicated to the subjects he views as most important.
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'I think more practice, more work, will get you a better math score,' he said during Monday's hearing. 'That's the ultimate premise of this bill.'
'You can have a fine life and not know French,' he said. 'But you can't have a good life and not be able to deal with numbers, because people will cheat you. You won't be able to estimate. You won't be able to deal with taxes and money.'
An overwhelming number of people including students, teachers, and parents disagree with the legislation. As of Tuesday morning, 30,106 people had indicated their opposition on the legislature's website, while just 71 supported it.
'The state of our education system is under threat,' Kaylen Arsenault wrote in her testimony opposing the bill. Arsenault said she is a high school teacher.
'In essence, this bill will disadvantage students making them even more ill equipped for the future,' wrote Bruce Berk of Pittsfield.
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And Kaia Meredith, 21, who said she was a college student at the University of New Hampshire, added her opposition to the bill, which she believes would stifle students' curiosity and creativity.
Megan Tuttle, the president of NEA-NH, a teacher's union, testified that the bill would degrade education in New Hampshire and leave students without pathways to higher education, which often require students to take foreign languages, for example.
Tuttle said low-income and rural students who rely on public education would suffer the most, since wealthier students would still have access to arts, languages, and technology education through private school or extracurriculars.
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson of Exeter released a statement called the outpouring of opposition 'unprecedented.'
'Arbitrarily removing subject areas like computer science, economics, history, and personal finance from the definition of an adequate education is extremely shortsighted and will set our students back as they prepare to enter the twenty-first century workforce,' she said.
'I am particularly concerned that this bill was filed by one of the top budget writers in Republican leadership,' she said.
Some who opposed the bill suggested it was an attempt to reduce education costs, ahead of a difficult budget year and as the N.H. Supreme Court weighs a lower court's order requiring the state to pay significantly more in education funding. For his part, McGuire insisted his motives were 'pure.'
This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday,
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