New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut — whose efforts to reshape where, how and what students learn endeared him to conservatives but alienated many educators — will step down at the end of this school year.
First appointed in 2017 under then-Gov. Chris Sununu, his onetime political rival, Edelblut’s second four-year term as education commissioner was set to expire this month. Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Edelblut’s departure in a press release Thursday afternoon. She said he would remain in the role “in holdover status to support schools through the end of the school year.”
“I thank Commissioner Edelblut for his service to our state and wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” Ayotte said. She said she would begin a search for a successor who would “build on this momentum and further our goal of improving our standards and academic performance, supporting our incredible teachers, and delivering a best-in-class education for every child in New Hampshire.”
Earlier coverage: A back to school conversation with New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut
A steady push for school choice
During his eight years at the helm of the education department, Edelblut championed school choice and was one of the leading voices behind the creation of New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program, which allows qualifying families to use public money toward homeschooling, private schooling or other educational expenses.
Edelblut also led other efforts to deemphasize classroom-based learning in favor of other educational approaches, including a program called “Learn Everywhere” that allows students to earn academic credit for extracurricular activities.
From the start of his term as commissioner, Edelblut drew backlash from public school educators and advocates, who protested his lack of experience working in education and his free-market attitude toward teaching. Some also took issue with the fact that all of his children were homeschooled, arguing that he lacked firsthand perspective on public schooling.
His time as commissioner has also been defined by his efforts to exert greater control over school curriculum and library content, which overlapped with a broader Republican-led movement to limit conversations about race, gender or sexuality in schools.
For Edelblut, that included challenging school officials over specific books, school holiday decisions and classroom exercises and displays. He has defended such efforts as an attempt to protect children and advocate on behalf of parents who weren’t being adequately supported by their local districts
“When I assumed this role in 2017, I committed to being 100% focused on the children,” Edelblut wrote in an April 2024 op-ed rebutting an NHPR investigation into his battles over educational content. “Thank God someone is looking out for the children.”
Read more: A trans teacher asked students about pronouns. Then the education commissioner found out.
A ‘live free & learn approach’
Edelblut did not return a call seeking comment Thursday afternoon. But in a social media post, he expressed gratitude to those “who have joined me in expanding pathways to education & advancing learner-centered opportunities.”
“Since 2017, I have been a champion of children & families, working to make sure they have educational opportunities leading to bright futures,” Edelblut wrote. “This live free & learn approach has been the catalyst for all kinds of choice options, including our public schools, non-public schools, public charter schools, open enrollment schools, innovation schools, Learn Everywhere programs and learning pods, to name a few.”
State Board of Education Chairman Drew Cline, speaking on behalf of the board, praised Edelblut’s “stalwart leadership and steadfast commitment to New Hampshire’s children.”
“He’s led New Hampshire public education into a new era of thoughtful, student-focused innovation,” Cline said in a statement provided to NHPR. “New Hampshire’s public school system works better now than it did eight years ago, and he deserves all the credit for making that happen.”
