House Republicans pushed through a major expansion of the Education Freedom Accounts program on a 190-189 vote, making scholarships available to families of four earning up to $150,000 a year, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. GOP leaders then seized on the narrow win and pushed the bill straight to the Senate.
Osborne signaled the issue would be central to the coming campaign.
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, said the GOP will make access to EFAs for all families a rallying cry in the 2024 elections.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
In a statement carried by the New Hampshire Union Leader, Osborne defended the program’s standing and accused opponents of playing politics: “The fact remains that we now have the most popular education choice program in the country. By failing to provide this flexibility to all children, we are playing petty games with their futures, putting politics over people,” Osborne said in a statement.
The vote came down to a slim margin in a closely divided chamber, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.
Only four House Republicans opposed the bill while the approval vote of one Democrat, Rep. Bruce Tatro of Swanzey, became its margin of victory.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
House Education Committee Chairman Rick Ladd argued a robust program makes public schools compete harder for students and offers parents schooling cheaper than the local per-pupil cost, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. The vote came after the House had rejected two other proposals, one to fully lift the income cap and another to add nine new categories of eligible families.
“The fact remains that we now have the most popular education choice program in the country.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Critics argued the expansion was costly and unaccountable, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. House Democratic PAC chair Rep. Laura Telerski called the move “the height of partisan arrogance,” while National Education Association of New Hampshire President Megan Tuttle estimated the expansion could cost as much as $45 million a year.
The expansion built on a law signed last spring that raised EFA income limits to 350% of the federal poverty level, or $109,200 for a family of four. At the time, about 4,200 students were in the program receiving an average grant of $5,225, with annual spending that had grown to more than $22 million in the 2023-24 school year.
Opponents of the expansion warned about the open-ended cost and the speed of the maneuver. House Democratic PAC chair Rep. Laura Telerski criticized the spending and the decision to send the bill straight to the Senate.
“No clear price tag, unlimited spending, and fiscally irresponsible. Republicans (are) just burning money.” Telerski posted on social media.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
The expansion built on a law signed the prior spring that had raised EFA income limits to 350% of the federal poverty level, or $109,200 for a family of four. About 4,200 students were enrolled at the time, receiving an average grant of $5,225 to offset private, religious, alternative public or home schooling costs.
Read the full story at the New Hampshire Union Leader.
