An act relating to the provision of prekindergarten education in geographically isolated school districts

The provision changed from specifically naming the NEK Choice School District and Essex North Supervisory Union to a general framework under which any school district that is geographically isolated (as defined by the State Board of Education) may pay tuition for prekindergarten education at an out-of-state program.

New subsection (h) 'Geographic limitations Prekindergarten regions' allows any school board to limit tuition payments to providers within a defined prekindergarten region. The region must not be smaller than the district boundaries, must consider estimated enrollment, provider availability, commuting patterns, and existing partnerships, and includes a narrow exception allowing payment outside the region if a child cannot access funded prekindergarten within it.

New subsection (i)(1) specifies that the out-of-state prekindergarten program must provide 10 hours per week for 35 weeks, be approved to provide publicly funded prekindergarten education under New Hampshire law, and be located within 25 miles of the Vermont border.

New subsection (e)(12) requires the Secretary of Education and Commissioner for Children and Families to jointly develop rules defining 'geographically isolated school district' and establishing a process for enrollment in New Hampshire prekindergarten programs.

New Sec. 2 requires the State Board of Education and Department for Children and Families to initiate rulemaking by January 1, 2027 to amend existing prekindergarten education rules to comply with the new provisions.

Subsection (h) on 'prekindergarten regions' was removed. This had allowed school boards to limit geographic boundaries for tuition payments by defining a district-specific prekindergarten region, with criteria based on enrollment numbers, provider availability, and commuting patterns.

The general provision in subsection (i) requiring any geographically isolated district to pay tuition for 10 hours per week for 35 weeks to an outside-Vermont program was removed and replaced with a narrower provision specific to the NEK Choice School District.

Section 2 requiring the State Board of Education and Department for Children and Families to initiate rulemaking by January 1, 2027 to define 'geographically isolated school district' was removed entirely.

The provision was narrowed from applying to any resident prekindergarten child in a geographically isolated school district (as defined by the State Board) to specifically naming the NEK Choice School District and the Essex North Supervisory Union as the administering body.

Subsection (e)(12), which required joint rulemaking to establish a definition for 'geographically isolated school district' and an enrollment process, was removed.

The bill changed from applying to all 'geographically isolated school districts' as defined by the State Board of Education, to applying only to the specifically named NEK Choice School District.

The general eligibility framework was removed, including the requirement that programs provide 10 hours per week for 35 weeks, and the condition that programs be approved under New Hampshire law.

Section 2 requiring the State Board of Education and Department for Children and Families to initiate rulemaking by January 1, 2027 was removed entirely.

A waiver mechanism was added allowing the superintendent to apply for and receive a waiver from any rule provision that is impractical for NEK Choice or the New Hampshire program, by demonstrating a substantially equivalent provision exists.

The definition of 'geographically isolated school district' and the process for establishing it (jointly by Agencies of Education and Human Services) was removed since the bill no longer uses that concept.

The provision was narrowed from applying to any 'geographically isolated school district' (as defined by the State Board) to specifically naming only the NEK Choice School District as eligible.

Eligible programs were limited from any prekindergarten program approved under New Hampshire law to only programs operated by a public school in New Hampshire located in a district within 25 miles of the Vermont border.

The Essex North Supervisory Union is now responsible for administering enrollment procedures and managing tuition payments, rather than the school district handling it directly.

A new waiver provision allows the superintendent to apply for and receive a waiver from any rule provision that is impractical for NEK Choice or the New Hampshire program, if a substantially equivalent provision is offered.

The introduced version included a section requiring the State Board of Education and Department for Children and Families to initiate rulemaking by January 1, 2027. This entire section was removed in the Senate-passed version.

The introduced version specified 10 hours per week for 35 weeks of prekindergarten education; this specific hour/week requirement was not carried into the Senate version's text.