The cynical attempt to dismantle public education in the name of education
In a Concord Monitor op-ed supporting the use of taxpayer funds for private school tuition, state Reps. Greg Hill, JR Hoell and former Rep. Michael Balboni claim former Gov. John Lynch as an ally. It’s a particularly cynical ploy given the efforts by the group to dismantle many of the educational initiatives championed by Lynch – a focus of the 2011 House session led by then-Speaker Bill O’Brien.
The op-ed quoted a 2009 letter from Lynch in which the governor said his “top priority” was “to help every young person graduate from high school, including working to pass legislation to increase the compulsory attendance age and expanding alternative education programs for at-risk students.”
The authors failed to note that two years later Balboni and Hoell voted with the Republican super-majority for legislation that would have rolled back Lynch’s hallmark achievement requiring children to attend school until age 18. House Bill 429, which lawmakers approved 210-134, would have permitted a child to withdraw from school with parental permission at age 16.
Lynch called that vote a “misguided” effort. “The people of New Hampshire would be justified if they asked themselves, ‘Just what is our House of Representatives thinking?’ ” Lynch said in a statement.
The opinion piece didn’t mention legislation introduced by Hoell, even more extreme, that would have eliminated compulsory school attendance completely; prohibited school districts from enforcing truancy laws; and eliminated state oversight of the education provided by home-schooling parents.
When the authors lauded the former governor for “expanding alternative education programs for at-risk students,” they failed to note that all three joined their Republican colleagues to vote for a budget that slashed funding for Head Start, for vocational training and for CHINS, a program that provided support for Children in Need of Services.
When they wrote, “New Hampshire parents want the best for their children, and that includes a great K-12 education,” they failed to acknowledge Hoell’s vote to repeal the requirement that all school districts offer public kindergarten; or the vote by Balboni and Hoell for a constitutional amendment that would have eliminated judicial review of educational funding plans and granted the legislature the sole power to set funding levels for public education including the option of completely eliminating the funding.
The Croydon school board, led by Free State Project board member Jody Underwood, is continuing to use tax money to pay for students’ tuition at private schools, despite official notification from Education Commissioner Virginia Barry that the practice violates state law. The state Attorney General’s office has filed a civil complaint against the school board to ensure their compliance with state law.
Balboni, Hill and Hoell seem to believe the “the will and wisdom of the people of Croydon” overrules state law. In a plea to the Attorney General they wrote, “If you use the power of the state to override the will and wisdom of the people of Croydon to end school choice there, you threaten every district and child in the state.”