O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

The New Hampshire Department of Education recently revealed the latest price tag for our  state’s school vouchers program. What started out as a supposedly targeted program back in  2021 has now expanded into a $51 million handout for the wealthiest of Granite Staters. It’s  running $12.3 million over budget, without any end in sight.  

As a former Manchester middle school counselor, a state representative, and a taxpayer, these  numbers scare me — and they should scare you too. Governor Kelly Ayotte’s private school  vouchers are draining funding from public schools, which serve over 160,000 students across  the state.  

Thanks to several school districts who filed suit, the New Hampshire Supreme Court finally ruled over the summer that our state is underfunding public education. That’s hardly surprising  considering we invest the least amount of state funding in K-12 public schools than any state in  the nation.  

Vouchers sound great in practice — who doesn’t want “school choice” or “education freedom?”  But in practice, it’s anything but.  

Families, who already have the financial means to enroll their kids in private schools, are taking  advantage of these handouts more than anyone else. Since the program started, the  overwhelming majority of participants were already being homeschooled or attending private  schools when they first enrolled. New state data shows that the percentage of students from  low-income families using the program dropped 18 percent.  

It’s not just local school districts and students that are paying the price. Granite State taxpayers  will suffer.  

Vouchers are becoming a larger drain on the state budget. This year, Governor Ayotte massively  expanded the program, eliminating income eligibility restrictions. In doing so, she opened up Pandora’s box.  

This is the last thing New Hampshire needs. Under Republicans, our revenues are falling far  below expectations. We can’t afford a program that bleeds tax dollars totally dry.  

Even worse, there’s little accountability on how these tax dollars are spent. The New York-based  nonprofit administering the program has approved families that failed to provide sufficient  documentation that they even lived in New Hampshire. We’ve been stuck waiting for an audit on  how the program is performing, and the administrator is refusing to release any data in the  meantime.  

Republicans want to go even further with their voucher scam. This session, they’ve introduced a  bill that would establish a study committee to evaluate the possibility of implementing local 

school vouchers. As if this program wasn’t fiscally irresponsible enough, you can soon expect  your property taxes to skyrocket if this proposal becomes reality.  

Because of chronic education underfunding, the financial burden for public education already  falls disproportionately on property taxes, which account for 61 percent of school district  revenue.  

Every child deserves access to a quality education in their own community. But if Governor  Ayotte and New Hampshire Republicans continue to head down the path of voucher expansion,  public schools and the students they serve are in for a complete disaster.  

Parents are always free to send their children to private schools. But doing so is a personal  choice — and a choice that shouldn’t come at a detriment to public education.  

 Rep. Patricia Cornell, D-Manchester, is the ranking member of the House Education Policy and  Administration Committee. She represents Hillsborough District 22.  

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