Charter Schools

New Hampshire lawmakers have approved a federal grant aimed at increasing the number of public charter schools in the state and helping existing ones expand.

The grant has been at the center of a fierce partisan debate for a year and was repeatedly blocked by State House Democrats, who cited concerns about the long-term sustainability of publicly-funded charter schools.

The state’s online charter school is getting $7 million in CARES Act funding, in response to a massive spike in enrollment during the pandemic.

The Exeter-based Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) offers online classes to students in New Hampshire. Demand for VLACS classes tripled over the summer as families looked for options to remain remote this school year. Despite hiring more than 70 new teachers, VLACS says thousands of potential part-time students are still on the wait list.

The New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools says its members need more money to handle costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Like traditional public schools, charter schools received federal CARES Act relief money, but some say it wasn't enough to cover the cost of new air filtration units, PPE, and laptops for students.

New Hampshire's online public charter school is expanding in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, known as VLCAS, offers full-time online school to nearly 300 students in New Hampshire, mostly in high school. Approximately another 12,000 high schoolers who are enrolled in their local public schools also take some VLACS classes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that a coronavirus that has already led to quarantines in other countries, has reached the U.S. and is expected to spread. State epidemologist Dr. Benjamin Chan gives us the latest updates. N.H. joins a multi-state investigation into the vaping company Juul Labs, and we talk with Sarah Gibson about the ongoing debate over charter school funding. 

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.

A group of lawmakers has once again voted to reject a federal grant to expand charter schools in New Hampshire.

Democrats on the legislative fiscal committee voted against the $10 million dollars last month, citing concerns that opening more charter schools would cost the state down the road and harm existing conventional public schools.

Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut told reporters after the second failed vote today that he still wasn’t giving up on the grant.

The legislative Fiscal Committee voted today to block a $10 million grant from the federal government for public charter schools.

The funds would have been the first installment of a $46-million grant to help the New Hampshire Department of Education double the number of charter schools in the state over the next five years.

A group of lawmakers is asking the New Hampshire Department of Education to respond to its concerns about a $46 million federal grant to expand public charter schools, before deciding whether to accept it.

Lawmakers are holding up $10 million of a charter school grant from the federal government, citing concerns over how the grant will affect existing public schools and the state budget.

The money is part of $46-million grant made to the New Hampshire Department of Education, with the goal of doubling the number of charter schools in the state over the next five years.

Parents in Nashua are voicing concerns over a decision by the school district to bus students offsite for special education services.  

Districts in New Hampshire are required to oversee and pay for services for students with special education plans, known as IEP's, even when that student starts going to a public charter school.

The New Hampshire Department of Education is getting $46 million from the federal government to expand public charter schools over the next five years.

Many charter schools rely on parent volunteers to fill gaps due to lack of funding, whether it’s filling in at the front desk or helping teachers in the classroom.

But at some charter schools, volunteering isn’t optional.

At Surry Village Charter School, families are required to spend 20 hours a year volunteering at the school. That’s according to the “parent participation” section of the school’s parent handbook.

What is a charter school?

Here is the definition and breakdown as outlined on the New Hampshire Department of Education website:

“Charter schools are public and tuition-free schools. The focus of each public charter school is unique and based on the educational needs and interests of a particular community.

New Hampshire has lost out on a federal grant that would have helped create more charter schools in the state.

The state Department of Education had applied for a $5.4 million, five-year grant.

The state was told Monday it was not one of the eight states selected by the US Department of Education to receive new grants.

An Arts and Music Charter School on the Seacoast that had faced closure is now likely to stay open.

The Seacoast Charter School has been trying to raise money to stay open since it learned its current lease from Sanborn Regional School District in Kingston wouldn’t be renewed.  The school needed to raise $125,000 by the end of May to lease a new space in Stratham. 

Seacoast Charter School Principal Peter Durso says the school met that goal through the efforts of teachers, parents, and some deep pocketed youngsters.