NH Education Bills — Impact Scores

Bans teaching of CRT, LGBTQ+ topics, "Marxist analyses" — with $10K lawsuits and loss of teaching licenses.

TL;DR: Named after Charlie Kirk. Lets any parent sue a school for up to $10,000 and get a teacher's license revoked for teaching about systemic racism, LGBTQ+ identities, or anything deemed "identity-based ideology." Critics including the NH Attorney General's office argue the vague terms invite abuse and are unconstitutionally broad. Passed the House 184–164 and is now in the Senate.

Commission to study converting ALL public schools to charter schools. Also lowers charter conversion threshold from 2/3 to simple majority.

TL;DR: Sponsored by House Majority Leader Osborne, who openly says it would make public education funding debates "go away." That's because it would eliminate traditional public schools entirely. The bill also sneaks in a change from 2/3 majority to simple majority for converting to charter, AND moves the vote from town meeting to the general election — where it's easier to pass with less community scrutiny. This is the free-state endgame: dismantle public education from the ground up.

Redefines "cost of adequate education" to EXCLUDE school nurses and superintendent services.

TL;DR: A judge ruled the state underfunds education at ~$4,200/pupil — roughly half what it should be. Instead of increasing funding, this bill strips items from the list of what counts as "adequate." No school nurses in the state funding formula. No superintendent services. Also removes the requirement that the legislature review adequacy costs every 10 years. It's a backdoor way to keep funding low by redefining what schools need. Passed the House 10-8 on party lines and is now in the Senate.

Creates a "revolving loan fund" for struggling schools — but forces districts to open the door to universal vouchers.

TL;DR: Marketed as help for cash-strapped districts like Claremont, this bill lets struggling schools borrow up to 75% of their state education aid — but the catch is poisonous. Any district that takes the loan must allow ALL parents in the district to obtain Education Freedom Accounts regardless of income. It's predatory lending meets voucher expansion: here's money you desperately need, but the price is opening the door for your funding to be drained away permanently.

Eliminates the default budget mechanism — if a warrant fails, the previous year's budget just rolls over.

TL;DR: Under current law, when a budget warrant fails, a "default budget" accounts for contractual obligations and adjustments. This bill would have eliminated that safety valve — if the warrant fails, schools simply get last year's exact budget with no adjustments for new contracts, cost increases, or enrollment changes. Killed unanimously in committee (18-0 ITL), but it reveals the intent: punish schools for any budget vote that doesn't go the way anti-education forces want.

Statewide open enrollment — any student can attend any public school district, with funding following the student.

TL;DR: Sounds like "school choice" but here's what it actually does: any student can enroll in any district, and 80% of the per-pupil cost follows them. Small rural districts lose students (and funding) to larger, better-resourced districts — but still have to maintain buildings, bus routes, and staff for the students who remain. It's a death spiral for rural schools. And the receiving districts control capacity, meaning wealthy districts can cherry-pick while poor districts hemorrhage. Passed the Senate 16-8.

Restricts school flags to US, state, POW/MIA, military, and town flags only. Fines up to $1,000 for violations.

TL;DR: This is a Pride flag ban dressed up as patriotism — and it's now law. Sponsored by Rep. Lisa Freeman (R-Tilton), schools can't display any flag outside the approved list — no Pride flags, no cultural heritage flags, nothing. Violations escalate from warnings to Board of Education fines of $1,000. The message to LGBTQ+ students: you're not welcome here. Takes effect September 2026. They passed this while killing funding for crumbling school buildings.

Requires schools to post policies on "authorized" materials and create formal complaint processes for parents.

TL;DR: Would have created a formalized pipeline for book challenges and material complaints. Every district would have had to adopt and publicly post which materials are "authorized," and establish a complaint process for parents who think materials are "harmful to minors" or "offensive." Killed when the Senate voted non-concur — but the infrastructure for organized book-banning campaigns came back stronger in SB 434.

Prohibits public schools from performing surgical procedures or prescribing pharmaceutical drugs.

TL;DR: Schools don't perform surgery. Schools don't prescribe drugs. This is a solution in search of a problem — almost certainly targeting trans-related healthcare fears, school-based health clinics, or school nurses administering medications. Sponsored by Rep. Kristin Noble (R-Bedford), it passed 183–155, which tells you it's about politics, not policy. If it were actually about something real, it would've been unanimous. Now in the Senate.

Forces public colleges to allow firearms and weapons on campus. Eliminates all campus carry restrictions.

TL;DR: Strips UNH, Plymouth State, Keene State, and all public colleges of the ability to set their own firearms policies. Sponsored by Rep. Sam Farrington (R-Rochester) and called the "Protecting College Students Act" — Orwellian naming at its finest. University presidents opposed it. No permit required. Parents, students, and faculty had no say. This is now law. It makes campuses less safe and overrides local institutional control, which is ironic from the "local control" crowd.

Repeals the NH Council on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

TL;DR: Eliminates the state council that coordinates healthcare, education, and services for people with autism — a body created by the legislature in 2008. While this isn't directly an "education" bill, the council's work includes educational support and policy recommendations for students on the spectrum. Removing it strips away an advocacy body for some of the most vulnerable students. Passed 178–155.

Lets parents enroll kids in any district where they pay property taxes.

TL;DR: If you pay property taxes in multiple towns (e.g., own a vacation home), your kids could attend school in any of those towns. On its face, this sounds like open enrollment — but it could drain resources from smaller districts. The committee unanimously recommended killing it (5-0 Inexpedient to Legislate), so even the legislature thought this was a bad idea. Dead.

Consolidates all 107 SAUs into 12 county-based units with elected superintendents.

TL;DR: Would have slashed NH's 107 School Administrative Units down to 12 county-based SAUs, eliminated superintendents, and replaced them with elected "chief school administrators." Sounds like efficiency, but county-based districts would be massive and unresponsive to local needs. Making the top administrator an elected position politicizes school leadership. Referred to interim study, which means it's dead for now but the concept will return.

Requires mandatory hunting, wildlife management, and firearms education in all high schools.

TL;DR: Would have required every high school in the state to teach mandatory courses on hunting, wildlife management, and firearms handling. Joint Board of Education/Fish & Game Commission curriculum. While outdoor education has value, making firearms training mandatory in schools — while simultaneously banning teaching about systemic racism (HB 1792) — tells you exactly what this legislature thinks children should and shouldn't learn. Killed in committee.

Allows school districts to retain year-end unassigned funds with new requirements.

TL;DR: Would have let districts keep leftover funds so schools don't lose money for being efficient. However, the "new funds and voting requirements" and the restriction to "unusual circumstances" added bureaucratic hurdles. Killed unanimously in committee (18-0 ITL). The idea had merit but the implementation was problematic.

Increases appropriations for school building aid grants for construction and renovation.

TL;DR: This was the one genuinely good bill — and they killed it. Sponsored by Rep. Michael Cahill (D-Rockingham), NH's schools are aging and many districts have waited years for building aid that never came. HB 366 would have increased state funding for school construction/renovation and set aside money for previously approved projects that went unfunded. Passed the House 195–155 with bipartisan support, then the Senate killed it on March 5. Let that sink in: the legislature passed a WEF conspiracy ban and a Pride flag ban into law, but killed funding for crumbling school buildings.

Would have required the state to actually fund adequate education as courts have ordered.

TL;DR: The bill that actually tried to solve the problem — and was killed for it. Rep. Dick Ames introduced legislation requiring the state to fund an adequate education at the levels courts have said are constitutionally required. The Education Funding Committee voted it down 10-8 on party lines. The House killed it 185-159. Courts say the state owes more. The legislature says no. That's the whole story.