Nearly a hundred New Hampshire educators and others rallied outside a Manchester high school Saturday, protesting President Trump’s order to close the federal Department of Education.
Both the Trump administration and New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut have downplayed concerns about the change, saying it will strengthen local control. That didn’t reassure the teachers who gathered outside Central High School Saturday morning.
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Zoe Grenier, a first-year teacher at the school, said she can’t buy textbooks for her world history and geography students with state and city funding. Grenier worries about losing federal money that pays for special education services, school meals, and additional support for low-income students.
“For a lot of my students, the only food they eat is provided by the school, either while they're here or through various programs that are put together, sometimes just by their teachers,” Grenier said. “The Department of Education being demolished, it's just another thing in a long line of things that I think are meant to make us feel very defeated.”
The New Hampshire Department of Education receives $240 million a year from the federal agency, according to Edelblut. Public schools are primarily funded with state and local money but rely on federal dollars for about 5% of their budgets, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
Sue Hannan, president of the Manchester Teacher’s Union, said 46% of the district’s 12,000 students receive free- or reduced-price lunch, and 16% have special education needs.
“If the Department of Education is weakened or eliminated, these students could lose access to the staff support programs, personalized education plans, and assistive technologies that make a meaningful difference in their lives,” Hannan said. “If Congress doesn't take action immediately, New Hampshire students will suffer.”
Edelblut’s office did not return NHPR’s message seeking information about the potential impact of closing the federal education department. Speaking to state lawmakers last week, he said he’s been given no indication from federal education officials that funding will be cut, but it’s possible the state will be asked to take on more responsibility for dispersing that money to local schools.
“I think it's universally agreed that the more local control, the closer we get to education,” Edelblut said. “It's a better way to allow funds to be distributed to the students and to the education mission for those students.”
Edelblut’s comments came during a public hearing Wednesday about legislation that would require him to provide lawmakers a plan should the federal Department of Education close and shift its duties to the state. Edelblut told the committee that he has been preparing for that “inevitability” and would work with lawmakers to decide how to spend that money, but he did not share details.
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Sen. Debra Altschiller, a Stratham Democrat who sponsored the legislation requiring Edelblut to share a plan, joined the protestors in Manchester this weekend. She called out Edelblut for not providing more answers about the state’s response.
“What’s the plan, Frank?” she said. “What's the plan for making sure our students and special education and their learning will continue without interruption? Our children and our communities will pay the price.”
Altschiller’s legislation appears certain to face a fight in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority. During the committee hearing Wednesday, two Republicans said they think demanding answers now, just days after Trump signed the order directing the agency to close, is premature.
