Democrat Peggy Balboni represents Rockingham 38, Greenland, North Hampton and Rye in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and offers praise for public education.
It seems that almost every day there is another news article about how public education is failing our students. Attacking public education has become a national rallying cry for Republicans intent on promoting so-called “school choice” programs to divert public funds to private educational programs.
New Hampshire is not immune to this national trend. As a member of the New Hampshire House Education Committee, I am concerned that the stoking of parental and community distrust of our educators has led to legislation that does not improve student learning and is harming the ability of teachers to provide a quality education to our students.
With all the negative attention on public education, it is easy to forget that there are many educational professionals who go above and beyond. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the “Celebrating Leadership in Education'' ceremony, recognizing Elizabeth Duclos of Pembroke Hill School, 2024 NH Teacher of the Year and the 17 finalists and semifinalists; the three finalists of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching; and the three 2024 Blue Ribbon Schools. I was especially thrilled to congratulate my town’s Rye Elementary School and our very own fourth-grade teacher, Jacquie DeFreze! My four children attended the Rye public schools and as a longtime classroom volunteer and school board member, I can attest to the value of our teachers, parents, and learning community working together to promote student achievement. Education is a lifelong process, and I am forever grateful to our Rye educators for providing a solid foundation for my children to expand their horizons.
Eighty-nine percent of New Hampshire children attend public education programs in their communities and an additional 3% attend public charter schools. It is important to note that students and families have always had choices in education. They may choose their school or program for academic, social, athletic or religious preferences. This past year, 9% of New Hampshire students attended private schools and 2% were home-schooled. However, only public schools are held accountable. It is only public schools that require all teachers to be certified and pass comprehensive background checks. Only public schools adhere to New Hampshire curriculum standards and instructional requirements. Only public schools publish student test scores and demographics. Only public schools are supervised by elected school boards. Public schools do not discriminate: any resident student may attend and is assured a free, appropriate public education. Currently, private schools, religious schools and home-schooling programs are not subject to these requirements and yet, under the New Hampshire state funded voucher system over $20 million public tax dollars are currently being used to fund them.
How do we know that our public funds are actually helping these students achieve sufficient educational growth? Are they meeting public school standards and high school graduation requirements? We have no comparable measurable student outcomes. Any student achievement data from private and religious schools is inconsistent, not equitable, and not publicly available. Parental satisfaction is not necessarily indicative of student success.
Schools like Rye Elementary are successful because they have financial resources, family engagement, and community support; essential ingredients to advancing student achievement. Let’s invest our tax dollars wisely to fund all New Hampshire public schools where the majority of our students are receiving their education. Let’s build back the bonds of mutual respect and trust between parents and teachers so that they share in the responsibility to motivate and support our students. Let’s pass bipartisan legislation to facilitate policy changes and provide the financial resources to improve programs in our neighborhood schools that give students, parents and teachers the tools to help them succeed.
New Hampshire first lady Valerie Sununu praised our educational professionals at the Department of Education reception, “You are all taking care of our children and you're doing an awesome job!” I agree! I thank every teacher who devotes so much time, energy and passion in helping our children learn and grow.