OP/ED: School Vouchers Not the Answer

By Laura Hainey

New Hampshire has a long tradition of citizens coming together to overcome whatever challenges we face. Whether it is the economy or education, we have always found it within ourselves to collaborate on solutions to put our state on a positive course. 

Concord’s introduction of proposals for “education tax credits,” which is code for private school vouchers, is a step in the opposite direction. HB 1607 and SB 372 are being pushed – despite major citizen opposition – by Bill O’Brien and his allies, who have taken it upon themselves to let outside influence guide their decisions about our children’s’ education.

Supporters of voucher schemes say that they provide parents whose children attend low-performing schools with resources they can use to offset the cost of a private education. However, the funds used to provide these vouchers are taken directly from the school district. The Darwinian theory behind this is that more competition for dollars will force bad schools to become better. Of course, this scheme is not new. It’s been tried – and has failed – in states throughout the country.  

Let’s call this for what it is: another effort on the part of O’Brien and his extremists to kill institutions like public education.

Sadly, their anti-student agenda doesn’t end with vouchers. There are about 20 education-killing proposals on the table that would siphon millions of dollars away from our school districts, abolish mandatory attendance, do away with our state’s university system, and put right-wing politicians in charge of school curricula. These extremists are also directly attacking our teachers who are tirelessly serving the children of our state. Our teachers use their collective voice to advocate for children every day.

In an ideal world, we elect leaders who listen and reflect the wishes of their citizens when tackling the tough issues like education. But these voucher bills were not drafted in response to a citizen outcry. In fact, a recent University of New Hampshire poll reported that 68 percent of public school parents are satisfied with their local schools. House Speaker O’Brien can only dream of such high approval ratings!

The source of this legislation may be the most disturbing aspect. Many of these bills don’t even originate from our representatives in Concord, but are eerily similar to proposals created by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporation-funded organization that exists to pass provide states with right-wing legislation, from eliminating collective bargaining to voter suppression. It is no secret that ALEC has been playing a major role in the agendas of conservative elected leaders across the nation. By even introducing these bills, they are violating our long-held value of solving our state’s problems without outside influence.

Of course, O’Brien is not one to let the will of the people interfere with pushing his Tea Party agenda. Last year, he tried everything in his power to sneak Right-to-Work for less legislation through the statehouse. The fact that he didn’t have the votes, public support or the Governor on his side has not deterred him from his mission to disenfranchise New Hampshire’s public employees.
AFT-New Hampshire understands that money is not the sole solution for improving public education. 

Let us also take at least a moment to commend the great work being done in our schools every day. Engaged parents, supportive residents and dedicated teachers focus on our children every day! But our schools and districts do need more attention and resources to achieve the greatest success for our students. Research has shown that access to classroom materials, smaller class sizes and providing support services for low-income children pays dividends in student performance. We simply cannot expect our schools to do more with less, but that’s the message coming out of this legislature.

Despite the attacks, despite the continual cuts in funding, and despite what enemies of public education in our state want you to believe, New Hampshire’s students are doing quite well, thank you very much. New Hampshire’s students outperform almost every state in the country on standardized tests.

We know our schools are far from perfect. But things will only get worse if O’Brien and the ALEC-sponsored agenda have their way. Improving education requires that we, as citizens, address a daunting list of issues, like teacher quality, school curriculum, building conditions and economic inequity, to name a few. Teachers, unions, parents and communities must have input and a role in making better schools for our kids.

There is no single solution, organization or individual that can solve these issues. Our schools won’t improve until we move away from punitive “silver bullets,” and get back to the hard work and cooperation that has always gotten us through tough times. We need to stop these attacks on public education and get back to working for our children – the New Hampshire way!

Laura Hainey is president of the AFT-New Hampshire, the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. The AFT has over 1 million members, with nearly 4,000 members here in New Hampshire. These members are teachers, school support staff, police, higher education faculty and town employees.