According to a recent report by our state’s Department of Education, only a tiny fraction (0.13%) of the state’s K-to-12 student population is leaving their public school and taking their New Hampshire Education Freedom Account money with them. By contrast, the vast majority of EFA recipients (about 1,600 of the 1,800 total) have not attended a public school in the past year.
That, in and of itself, contradicts the supporters’ claim that our public schools are somehow failing our children and something was needed to give them a “choice.” No, it means that parents who choose private, religious or home-schooling are getting a subsidy for their values-based decisions. Keep an eye on the local school portion of your property tax bill, especially since the Legislature just approved a bill raising the income cap for recipients, meaning more families will qualify. Expect school taxes to grow faster than ever in coming years because of the ideologically driven machinations in Concord. Don’t blame it on the public schools.
William Kennedy
Peterborough