CACR 12 is in today’s Union Leader: Garry Rayno’s State House Dome: Education funding debate rolls on

“The vote is likely to receive more than the three-fifths majority it needs to be placed on the ballot, with the backing of all 19 Republicans and Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester.

But the House leadership will not go along with the language developed by Senate President Peter Bragdon and Lynch’s office with the help of attorneys Chuck Douglas, Ovide Lamontagne and Eugene Van Loan.”

Last year 5 Democrats and 3 Republican (Forsythe, Carlson, Rausch) State Senators opposed a nearly identical constitutional amendment, CACR 14. If all 19 republicans can be rolled by leadership to support CACR 12, then rolling the House may well be next.

How would CACR 12 change home schooling in NH, if adopted? The State would be given explicit Constitutional authority, where it had none before, to “define reasonable standards”, i.e. set curricula, as well as “establish reasonable standards of accountability,” i.e. mandate testing and evaluations.

If you thought home schooling under RSA 193-A was difficult, try home schooling under CACR 12. It will be far worse. The State will be obliged under the NH Constitution to regulate home programs.

If you haven’t done so before, please contact the members of the State Senate immediately and instruct them to oppose CACR 12. (see below)

Yes. The NH Supreme Court over reached its authority in the Claremont decision. But now the NH Senate is over reaching its authority in CACR 12, proposing to grant to itself authority over all of our schools in its attempt to fix the Claremont decision. CACR 12 undermines parents and local control of schools.

[Art.] 5-c [Public Education.] In fulfillment of the provisions with respect to education set forth in Part II, Article 83, the legislature shall have full power and authority and the responsibility to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education, to establish reasonable standards of accountability, and to mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity.

Further, the legislature shall have full power and authority to determine the amount of, and the method of raising and distributing, state funding for public education.

John Gallus
john.gallus@leg.state.nh.us
271-3077
752-1066

Jeanie Forrester
jeanie.forrester@leg.state.nh.us
271-2104

Jeb Bradley
jeb.bradley@leg.state.nh.us
271-2106
387-2365

James Forsythe
james.forsythe@leg.state.nh.us
271-3096

Matthew Houde
matthew.houde@leg.state.nh.us
271-2118

Fenton Groen
fenton.groen@leg.state.nh.us
271-3045
817-9352

Andy Sanborn
andy.sanborn@leg.state.nh.us
271-3073

Bob Odell
bob.odell@leg.state.nh.us
271-6733

Ray White
raymond.white@leg.state.nh.us
271-3569

Molly Kelly
molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us
271-2166
357-5118

Peter Bragdon
peter.bragdon@leg.state.nh.us
271-8472

Jim Luther
jim.luther@leg.state.nh.us
271-2246

Gary Lambert
gary.lambert@leg.state.nh.us
271-2735

Sharon Carson
Sharon.Carson@leg.state.nh.us
271-2674

Sylvia Larson
sylvia.larsen@leg.state.nh.us
271-2675

David Boutin
dboutin1465@comcast.net
271-2709
203-5391

John Barnes, Jr.
jack.barnes@leg.state.nh.us
271-6931
895-9352

Tom De Blois
tom.deblois@leg.state.nh.us
271-7803

Jim Rausch
james.rausch@leg.state.nh.us
271-8630

Lou D’Allesandro
dalas@leg.state.nh.us
271-2600
669-3494

Amanda Merrill
Amanda.Merrill@leg.state.nh.us
271-8567
669-3494

Chuck Morse
chuck.morse@leg.state.nh.us
271-4980

Russell Prescott
russell.prescott@leg.state.nh.us
271-3074
642-4243

Nancy Stiles
nancy.stiles@leg.state.nh.us
271-6933