Education

House Leader Looks to Put Brakes on Vocational School Admission Changes

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by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon
April 16, 2025
THE GOVERNOR proposes, the Legislature disposes. So goes the saying that points to who ultimately wields power on Beacon Hill. On most issues, lawmakers can have the final say. That’s true for things introduced by the governor, but it also extends to other players in state government. A case in point is the ongoing debate over vocational high school admission policies, which a top House official is suddenly looking to upend through one legislative lever or another.

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State Lawyers Ask Federal Appeals Court to Restore NH ‘Banned Concepts’ Law

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by Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin
April 8, 2025

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office argued before a federal appeals court Tuesday that a federal district court was wrong when it struck down a 2021 state law barring teachers from endorsing certain concepts related to race and gender. Appearing before the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, the Attorney General’s Office argued that the earlier decision should be reversed and the law should be allowed to take effect. Mary Triick, a lawyer for the Attorney General’s Office, disagreed with the district court that the law was too vague, and said the plaintiffs had improperly filed the lawsuit before the law had been applied against anyone. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who include teachers unions, countered that the law is too difficult to follow and that it would unconstitutionally chill classroom discussions if allowed to stand. The law, passed via House Bill 544 and later added to the 2021 budget bill, bars educators and public employees from endorsing any of four concepts: that people of one protected class such as race, gender, or sexual orientation are superior to those of another protected class; that people of one class are inherently oppressive of people of another class; that people of one class should receive adverse treatment compared to people of another class; and that people should not attempt to treat others without regard to their protected class.

Education

New Hampshire Cell Phone Ban in Schools Looks Likely

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by PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org, InDepthNH.org
April 1, 2025
By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – It appears that cell phone use in schools is about to be limited or entirely curtailed in New Hampshire classrooms.

In another bipartisan move that could be considered the third win for the newly elected governor and her priorities, the House Finance Committee has unanimously recommended passage of House Bill 131 which requires school boards to develop cell phone policies for classrooms.

The other wins include funding the Group II retirement plan which is being recommended by  House Finance and her bipartisan win on bail reform, two weeks ago with a unanimous Senate vote. The cell phone in schools bill is similar to one that has passed in other states. A fiscal note with $1 million attached to the bill has been removed. It was originally placed there to provide funding for school districts to purchase cell phone storage products but now there is no money attached to the measure. Gov. Kelly Ayotte first announced her hopes to ditch the distracting phones when she gave her inauguration address, and that came only hours after Republican Senators lined up behind the idea when they laid out their priorities for this session.

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Committee Saves State Library from Cuts, Recommends Ending Arts Council Funding

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by PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org, InDepthNH.org
March 25, 2025
By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – The doors to the New Hampshire State Library will remain open at least for now after a proposal to eliminate it was defeated from budget cutting deliberations on Tuesday. Instead, the House Finance Committee Division 1 voted to recommend the elimination of $600,000 over two years to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources budget, leaving Commissioner Sarah Stewart to find where to save that money in a “back-of-the-budget” move favored by the committee. It voted to recommend against eliminating positions at the library. The committee, however, did vote on Monday to recommend eliminating the entire $1.7 million budget for NH State Council on the Arts which was established in 1965. It provides grants and aid to theaters and cultural centers across the state and comes at a time when federal funding elimination is also being considered in Washington.

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Eliminate NH Council on Arts Proposal Passes House Panel; Eliminate State Library Pending

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by PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org, InDepthNH.org
March 24, 2025
By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – A move is underfoot in the Republican-led legislature to defund the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the State Library to save about $6 million in the next two years. On Monday, the House Finance Committee Division I voted 5-4 along party lines to accept an amendment to the budget bill (HB 2) brought by Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, to defund the arts council. The vote on the Library, which Sweeney also brought under the same amendment, was divided and is expected to be discussed on Tuesday. Republican Rep. Gerald Griffin, R-Mont Vernon, said he could support the elimination of arts funding for a few years “I know we’re in a crisis” but said he would not support eliminating the state library and its statewide functions to support local libraries. That led to a discussion about splitting the votes into two.

Region

Library Wars: Local Elections, the ‘Right to Read’ and Budget Battles

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by Katharine Webster, InDepthNH.org
March 10, 2025
By KATHARINE WEBSTER, InDepthNH.org

The culture wars have come for several public libraries in New Hampshire, turning elections for library trustee into referendums on censorship, parental rights, budget cuts and membership in the American Library Association (ALA). In Londonderry, a resident took to social media to accuse a candidate for library trustee of “pushing TRANS [sic] activism and LGBTQ+ ideology” on young children because she hosted a pride booth at Old Home Day. At candidates’ night in Atkinson last week, the library trustee race was by far the most hotly contested, with the moderator saying there were so many written questions from residents “about ratings and pornography and drag queens and who should police what children can see” that he would have to pick and choose. And in Goffstown, where conservatives could win a majority on the board, public library Director Dianne Hathaway said that could lead to changes in the library’s current policies, including one it updated a few years ago on challenges seeking to ban books, movies and other materials or remove them from the children’s section. “What we’re seeing is a lot of challenges to books that deal with themes of LGBTQ+ (and) racism,” said Hathaway, who has dealt with four book challenges during her 26 years at the Goffstown library.

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Blackjacks, Slung Shots, Brass Knuckles Would Become Legal Under Bill Passed by NH House

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by Claire Sullivan, New Hampshire Bulletin
February 21, 2025

The House approved legislation Thursday that would allow adults to have several weapons that are currently prohibited under state law. House Bill 207 would repeal the ban on blackjacks, a type of weighted baton; slung shots, a weapon with a heavy ball or knot on the end of a rope; and metallic knuckles. The ban would still be in place for those under 18, and people would be prohibited under the bill from selling or otherwise giving these weapons to minors. It passed the House, 207-162, and still needs approval from the Senate. Eight Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the bill, while seven Republicans voted against it.