Education

in committee · New Hampshire · House Mar 11, 2026

HB 1669: establishing a teacher bill of rights.

HB 1669 establishes a "Teacher Bill of Rights" for educators in New Hampshire public schools and public charter schools. It guarantees teachers specific rights, including a safe and healthy school environment free from violence, respectful treatment, the ability to share student information with parents (per FERPA), and protection from retaliation when exercising professional judgment. The bill requires all public school districts and charter school boards to post this bill of rights on their websites. It directly affects teachers by defining their workplace protections and communication rights within school policies. The law takes effect upon passage.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationGuarantees teacher rights including safety, respectful treatment, and protection from retaliation, directly strengthening educator support and school environment per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentGuarantees teacher workplace safety, respectful treatment, and retaliation protection - directly advancing worker rights in education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice Teachers

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failed · New Hampshire · House Apr 21, 2026

HB 1173: relative to post-secondary education opportunities for inmates.

HB 1173 allows New Hampshire's commissioner of corrections to release inmates from state prison at any time during their sentence to attend community college or university programs for which they've been accepted. This directly affects incarcerated individuals in New Hampshire state prisons who are accepted into post-secondary education. The bill requires the commissioner to notify the sentencing court and prosecutor before release, who may object within 10 days; if objected to, a court hearing determines approval. Time spent in education outside prison counts fully toward the inmate's sentence, and the commissioner may recall the inmate if community safety is threatened.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEnables inmate education programs to reduce recidivism, aligning with rehabilitation-focused criminal justice reform by expanding post-secondary opportunities in state prisons.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands post-secondary education access for incarcerated individuals by enabling prison release for college programs, directly advancing educational opportunity for a marginalized group.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Courts Probation & Parole Higher Education

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died · New Hampshire · House Mar 4, 2026

HB 1513: relative to reporting and transparency reports for the education freedom account program.

HB 1513 requires the scholarship organization managing New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account program to provide detailed, public transparency reports. It mandates that the organization publish annual data on account expenses by category and education provider within 45 business days of fund release, in a standard sortable electronic format on its website - without personally identifiable information. The bill also requires the organization to provide requested data to oversight bodies (like the legislative committee and Department of Education) within 45 business days and ensures all qualifying educational expenses are accessible. This directly affects the scholarship organization administering the program, adding specific reporting obligations to enhance public accountability.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRequires transparency in education program spending, promoting fiscal accountability without altering tax or budget allocations.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires transparency reports for education scholarship program, ensuring accountability in fund usage without restricting access or funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice Student Financial Aid

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died · New Hampshire · House Aug 20, 2026

HB 1820: requiring the department of education to administer the education freedom account program.

HB 1820 shifts administration of New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account (EFA) program from scholarship organizations to the Department of Education. It requires the Department to directly transfer funds to parents for qualifying education expenses (like tuition, materials, or tutoring) for eligible students, replacing the previous system where scholarship organizations managed distributions. Parents must apply through the Department, agree to educational requirements (including assessments or portfolio reviews), and use funds only for approved expenses. Unused EFA funds roll over annually but revert to the education trust fund if not used by graduation or after misuse. This bill directly affects parents of K-12 students participating in the EFA program.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationDirectly transfers funds to parents for education expenses (tuition, materials), expanding access to educational funding programs by replacing indirect scholarship management with state-administered accounts.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education School Choice Student Financial Aid

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failed · New Hampshire · Senate Apr 23, 2026

SB 580: relative to establishing a school cooperative purchasing program.

SB 580 establishes a state-administered school cooperative purchasing program for New Hampshire school districts, school administrative units (SAUs), and chartered public schools. The program enables these entities to join state-negotiated contracts for major school expenses like textbooks, transportation, food services, and heating fuel, replacing individual bidding processes with bulk-purchased rates. Participation is voluntary - school boards or trustees decide whether to join specific contracts, and local schools remain responsible for their own purchases and compliance. The bill streamlines procurement by allowing schools to use state-awarded contracts without needing separate competitive bids, while the state board of education oversees the program.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables cost savings on school expenses (textbooks, fuel) via bulk purchasing, potentially freeing funds for educational priorities without direct funding cuts.85% confidence

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signed · New Hampshire · House Jul 10, 2026

HB 1563: relative to the special education aid formula and the administration and monitoring of state special education aid.

HB 1563 adjusts New Hampshire's special education funding formula to better support school districts serving students with high-cost special education needs. It sets a new $60,000 threshold for aid eligibility (replacing the previous 3.5x average per-pupil cost formula), requiring districts to cover the first $60,000 plus 20% of costs up to $200,000 per student, while the state covers 80% of costs between $60,000-$200,000 and 90% above $200,000 - capping total state aid at $160,000 per student. The bill also creates emergency assistance funds ($250,000 annually for districts under 1,000 residents) to address sudden financial strain from special education costs. This directly affects school districts with students requiring costly specialized services, altering how costs are shared between districts and the state.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill restructures state funding formula to increase state coverage (80-90%) for high-cost special education, boosting public education budget allocation without defunding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdjusts special education funding to increase state coverage for high-cost cases (80% between $60k-$200k, 90% above $200k), replacing a less supportive formula to better fund districts serving students with special needs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding Special Education

in committee · New Hampshire · Senate Feb 24, 2026

SB 581: modifying education freedom account (EFA) eligibility and removing priority guidelines and the enrollment cap relative to EFA eligibility.

SB 581 modifies New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account (EFA) program by removing two key restrictions: (1) priority guidelines that previously favored certain student groups, and (2) an enrollment cap limiting EFA participation to 10,000 students. This change means all eligible parents can apply for EFAs without being subject to priority rankings or enrollment limits. The bill repeals related legal definitions and provisions that enforced these restrictions, effective July 2026. It directly affects families seeking EFA funding for K-12 education options by expanding access to the program.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves enrollment cap and priority guidelines, expanding EFA access to all eligible parents without restrictions, directly increasing educational access options.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Choice

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failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 5, 2026

HB 1507: requiring schools to provide a minimum amount of time for recess per day.

HB 1507 requires all New Hampshire public schools, school administrative units, and charter schools to provide a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes of recess daily for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The bill defines recess as unstructured outdoor play (weather permitting) without electronic devices (except for students with IEPs or 504 plans), and specifies that recess time counts as separate instructional time - not deducted from physical education or lunch periods. Schools may adjust recess time only for weather, special events, or emergencies, but cannot withhold it as punishment. This policy applies to all affected schools starting July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates minimum daily recess for K-6, promoting student well-being and structured play time in school day, enhancing student programs.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Student Health

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signed · New Hampshire · House Jul 16, 2026

HB 1807: relative to mandatory reports to voters.

HB 1807 requires school districts to include specific financial information in voting materials for school budget decisions. It mandates that warrant articles and ballots display the previous year's per-pupil cost (calculated using updated formulas), 10-year cost-per-pupil and teacher salary trends in graphs, and the estimated tax impact if all budget articles pass. This affects all New Hampshire school districts and voters participating in school budget votes. The bill repeals the old per-pupil cost calculation method and requires standardized, inflation-adjusted data presentation to improve transparency for voters.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates tax impact disclosure for school budgets, promoting fiscal transparency and informed voter decisions on spending within state budget framework.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates transparency in school budget voting by requiring financial data display, enabling informed voter decisions on funding impacts.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding Teachers

failed · New Hampshire · House Feb 12, 2026

HB 1524: requiring a logic and critical thinking course within the state high school education curriculum.

HB 1524 requires all New Hampshire public high schools to offer a logic and critical thinking course as part of their curriculum, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill mandates a minimum of 54 instructional hours for this course and defines critical thinking as understanding evidence, identifying logical fallacies, and evaluating information sources like social media. The state board of education must develop policy guidelines for teaching the course, and schools must integrate existing critical thinking instruction into this new requirement. This directly affects all high school students and educators across the state, with no new state funding provided for implementation.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates critical thinking curriculum enhancement, requiring 54 hours of instruction to develop evidence evaluation skills per bill's definition.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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