Among the hundreds of pieces of legislation introduced this session, New Hampshire lawmakers will take up a number of education issues.
While education funding is a perpetual topic, legislators will also debate high school dropouts, revising special education laws, and mandating kindergarten.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton has this preview.
The education issue at the forefront this session is Governor Lynch’s proposal to increase the legal high school dropout age from 16 to 18.
The goal is to prevent the more than 25-hundred students who dropout of New Hampshire high schools every year.
In making the announcement, Lynch said the current law, written in 1903, is antiquated.
“at that time, young people who left school could get decent jobs on the farms or in the mills 102 years later that is no longer trueâ€
The measure has garnered large bipartisan support and will be taken up in the Senate.
Prime sponsor Republican Senator Dick Green of Rochester says the legislation does more than just raise the compulsory age of attendance.
He wants to make sure alternative programs are in place for those at-risk of dropping out.
1212 we still have the responsibility academically to make sure they have the basics but we also have the responsibility to keep them in an educational program so that they can get a diploma or get a equivalency to make sure that they’re able to get a decent job when they get out of high school :56
The state education department has received 2.1 million dollars in federal dropout prevention grants for high schools in the state.
But other legislators feel that the best way to prevent students from dropping out is to make sure they have early learning opportunities.
New Hampshire still has 15 school districts in the state that do not offer public kindergarten.
Democrat Representative Peter Allen of Harrisville is sponsoring a bill that would require all districts to have a kindergarten program in place by July 2007.
“there’s no excuse for not doing it, we know it’s very important, to me it’s irresponsible not to have kindergartens in every community.â€
But the bill may not garner much support because of its fiscal impact.
It would require the state to pay 75-percent of the 15 million dollar construction costs for kindergarten.
Another big financial burden is providing for children who need special education.
House Education Committee Chair Stephen L’Heureux says one bill will set up a study commission to examine those costs.
1202 1:47 what you pay how much you pay, what does one diagnosis of say ADHD, if that child needs a individualized education plan, does the cost match in each individual district
And Representative John Cloutier of Claremont is concerned about students who make terrorist threats against their school or teachers.
Cloutier- also a substitute teacher – has introduced legislation that would require students who make such threats to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
“ I think we should try to be as proactive as possible and we want to prevent if at all possible any of the school tragedies like school shootings and specifically Columbine and I know some people say well it can’t happen in New Hampshire and I say bologna to that it can happen here.â€
Parents would have to consent if the child was under 18.
If they don’t, the child would be referred to juvenile court.
Other bills that may garner attention include one that allows video and audio recording on school buses for safety reasons, and another allows kids to opt out of sex education classes.
And one bill that requires elementary kids to have instruction in proverbs is sure to raise a few eyebrows.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.
