Sharing with friends from other states the truly alarming actions against education, teachers, and school officials, many friends are shocked learning about NH’s regressive politics fomented by New Hampshire’s “Free Stater” Republicans.

They expressed disbelief learning that a tiny cohort of anti-education residents recently cut the Croydon school budget by 50% … from $1.6 million to $800,000.

They found it inconceivable that efforts by NH Education Commissioner, Frank Edelblut, were undermining public education and potentially leading to a huge state education budget shortfall due to his original “Education Freedom Account” enrollment estimate of 28 students at an average cost of $4,952, totaling $138,656. Last November he raised the total to 1,635 students at a total cost of more than $8 million. This is the law that gives our public tax dollars to private and religious schools.

They were dismayed Edelblut has posted a complaint form for parents and others to “report” any teacher they feel violates the NH law that prohibits the teaching of so-called “divisive concepts” related to race and gender by public schools, state agencies and contractors. HB 1255 virtually bans the mention of Indigenous genocide and race-based chattel slavery in New Hampshire classrooms.

My older friends harkened back to the 1950’s, learning NH Republicans had submitted a “Cold War Era” Teacher Loyalty bill that teachers would have had to sign to teach.

As we deal with the corrosive forces of Autocracy within and without, please consider how critical a good, honest public education is for the continuation of our American Experiment in Democracy.