Governor Shaheen has vetoed a bill that would have made it easier to start charter schools??.According to the governor, the measure would have compromised the rights of local voters and hurt local school districts?.Supporters, however, say the bill?s virtues are clear?..And say the governor fought it for personal political gain?..NHPR?s Josh Rogers has more.
In her veto message, Governor Shaheen said the charter school measure as passed by the legislature violates what she calls New Hampshire?s long tradition of local control over public schools?..Shaheen sounded similar themes at a midday press conference.
"It cut voters and school boards out of the approval process??..It would have drained money from local schools. It also has language that would allow school boards to order local districts to pay more that the adequacy level for the charter school that I believe violates the 28a clause of the constitution."
The oft cited 28a clause bars the state from imposing unfunded mandates on municipalities?..According to Derry School board member Bud Hawkins, who was one of the 20 or so local school officials who joined Shaheen at her press conference, lean school budgets are already strained to the breaking point
"What could be disastrous for us is that we are able to educate our children at below the adequacy levels set how much it cost to educate a child?.So it would cost us more to send a child to these charter schools than to educate them ourselves in Derry."
"It offends me to think that districts would work to prevent public school choice because they think it would help their bottom line?."
Charter school proponent Warren Henderson is chairman of the house education committee.
"Those of us who put the needs of the school child ahead of the school institution recognize that no one will ever be forced to go to a charter school.. Charter schools will only succeed if parents see them as preferable alternatives."
And Henderson stresses that the proposal was a moderate one??Specifically, it would have authorized the state board of education to approve two schools a year for the next ten years??One of the Measure?s sponsors, Senator Jane O?Hearne of Nashua, points out that the plan also caps the number of students allowed to transfer from local school districts into the regional charter schools.
"It say not more than 5% of the resident pupils in any grade shall be eligible to transfer to a charter school in a school year without approval the local school board?..These are regional charter schools."
And according to Warren Henderson??the regional nature of these schools seems to have been ignored by the governor?..who he says is doing the election year bidding of the teachers union?..Henderson also claims the objections that individuals towns cannot scuttle a school are ill-founded.
"If a charter school is going to cover 4 5 or 6 school districts?.Than it doesn?t make any sense for the one town where the school happens top be to veto the whole idea."
While proponents of the charter school bill say they don?t have the votes needed to override Shaheen?s veto, they predict success next legislative session?..when the Governor is no longer in office.
