Gov. Kelly Ayotte has signed into law a bill that now allows students who opt out of public school to receive state-funded vouchers to take public school courses at no cost. Previously, public school districts had been allowed to charge students in the Education Freedom Account program.
Ayotte’s signature on House Bill 1817 now prohibits school districts from charging those students.
The New Hampshire Department of Education warned lawmakers that the bill “will likely result in a significant cost at either the local level, state level, or both, depending upon interpretation,” according to the bill’s fiscal note.
Public school officials have said the legislation could have particular impact for school districts with Career and Technical Education Centers, which can cost about $6,000 per student.
Mark Manganiello, bureau of school finance at the state Department of Education, warned lawmakers that the bill violates the department’s policies for funding public education.
Under those policies, the state pays public school districts to teach students they are required to educate. That’s why districts receive state funding when a home school student takes a class at their public school. But the state does not pay for that student’s education twice.
Manganiello told lawmakers this legislation would violate one policy or the other, according to the legislative hearing report.
If a student with a state-funded voucher took a public school course for free, the school district would not receive state funding for that student. If the state paid the school district for that student, as it does home school students, it would be paying for that student’s education twice.
The bill’s proponents disagreed. They argued that families who use school vouchers still pay local property taxes for their public school and should, therefore, be able to take courses for free.
