Lawmakers on the fiscal committee voted today against accepting a $10 million federal grant for charter school expansion.
This was the fourth vote in two months against the grant, which aims to double the number of charter schools in New Hampshire over the next five years.
Democrats say it would undermine traditional public schools and cost the state millions of dollars down the road.
Republicans say it would give students and parents more access to school choice and ultimately save taxpayers money.
An analysis released by the Department of Education on Thursday argues that because charter schools typically spend less per student than traditional public schools, doubling the number of charter schools in New Hampshire could save taxpayers nearly $180 million over the next decade.
The DOE is hosting a press conference about the analysis on Tuesday. Later in the day, lawmakers plan to discuss a Republican-backed bill that wouold allow the DOE to accept these funds without approval from the fiscal committee.
