Open Enrollment bills are working their way through the NH legislature, and one could get to Governor Ayotte’s desk within a week or two. These bills would be devastating to our public schools, significantly widening the opportunity gap that already exists, and adding chaos to school budgeting throughout the state.

WHAT TO DO?

By the end of the week, please contact Governor Ayotte by email or letter to ask her to veto HB751 and any other Open Enrollment bill that comes her way.

Contact info for Gov. Ayotte:

Email:  GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov

Snail Mail: 107 North Main Street | Concord | 03301

TALKING POINTS: In order to maximize the persuasiveness of your message, we’re hoping you’ll mention one or more specific impacts on your local schools, your community (including property taxpayers), or a child you know (or neighbor’s/relative’s/friend’s child). 

Don’t worry, we can help you with this! Ideas/talking points are HERE. 

For those who want to know a little more about open enrollment, here’s some background:

“Open enrollment” would  allow students to transfer to any public school in the state regardless of where they live. Who pays? 

• The sending districts must pay the receiving district an amount equal to  80%-100% of the sending district’s average cost per student.  
• If the sending district’s payment is less than the receiving district’s average cost per pupil, the transferring student’s parents must make up the difference.
• Example: If a student transfers from Newport to Sunapee, Newport would have to send at least $23,432 to Sunapee (each year), and the student’s parents would have to throw in another $$8,033. [Guess who on the economic scale will get to access this program?] 

Open Enrollment would have devastating consequences to the many school districts that are already financially strapped because of our inequitable school funding system. Tax dollars raised from local property taxpayers to support their local schools would be taken straight of their school budgets, leading to increased property taxes to make up the difference and/or cuts in services to the young people who remain in their local schools. 

There are also many unanswered questions about how the program would play out, from how are special ed services determined and paid for to if  a star basketball player transfers from District A to District B, can she bump a local District B student off the team?