Special guest, founder and President of EdOpt, Jody Underwood of Croydon, joins Carla Gericke to discuss the myriad of education options available in the Free State of New Hampshire. Learn more about how to find schools, compare programs, and discover resources for your child’s success.
A voter recently asked me the following on Facebook: “So how would you make up the revenue short fall; this is a perennial problem in a small state like New Hampshire. It’s either super high property taxes, or high taxes on prepared food rooms and meals, what do you propose?”
Here’s my response:
“High taxes are the result of high spending, so I’d start there.
NH has about a $13B biennial budget, iirc, and I’m sure there’s all kinds of fat in there–maybe it’s time for an audit, plus some flow charts showing us what each department gets and how the money is spent, down to the salaries, pensions, and other liabilities (funded and unfunded). Also, when you allow markets to operate freely, prices go down (unlike when you get the government involved, where they only know one direction, and that’s UP, UP, UP! <–easy to spend other people’s money!).
We are also not getting our monies worth in the current education system, where enrollment and results are going down precipitously as costs go up, so that needs an overhaul too. Of course, when Democrats refuse allocated funds like the $46M that was supposed to go to PUBLIC charter schools, it’s easy to see where to place some of the blame.
So what do I propose? Embracing the NH Advantage in its truest sense, allowing our friends and neighbors to run their businesses as unfettered as possible, fixing the schools by introducing more parental choices which will drive down costs while improving actual educational outcomes (doesn’t seem unreasonable that for approx. $16K per child, the kid should be able TO READ), reducing business taxes, and auditing and possibly eliminating unnecessary programs.
Nothing is written in stone, of course, and should allowing more freedom not work, we can always tweak things, but here’s one thing I 100% know, more and more government involvement in our lives leads to worse and worse outcomes! I want us to #LiveFreeAndThrive. That starts with “Live free”!”
I was invited by School Choice for NH to share my views on school choice.
Every child is a unique individual and “one size” does not fit all when it comes to his or her educational path. Some children thrive in government-run schools, others do not. I support school choice and expanding options for parents who know what is best for their child…
The answer lies in freeing the education market to more choice and competition. In Nordic countries, often cited by Democrats as the future “democratic socialist ideal” for America, school choice actually forms the bedrock of their educational system.
School choice is a form of freedom, and improves your child’s chances for success. As your Senator in District 20 (Goffstown and Manchester Ward 3, 4, 10 and 11), unlike my opponent, Lou D’Allesandro, who opposes school choice, I will support legislation that provides more educational choices for your child, which is ultimately good for your kids, good for you, and good for New Hampshire. A vote for me, Carla Gericke, is a vote for a better, brighter future!
You can read the full letter here. I ask for your vote on November 6th. Let’s get to work!
The documentary "Zero Tolerance," (trailer here) explores the role of SROs–law enforcement officers called "school resources officers"– who are stationed in schools across America.
"Why are children as young as five being arrested in schools across the USA? In a misguided attempt to avoid another Columbine, Zero Tolerance policies in schools have detained, fined and incarcerated hundreds of thousands of children for ‘offences’ such as chewing gum or being late for class." ~ IMDB
Set mostly in Texas, the stories are harrowing. But, there was one principal who, at 66 years old and retired, agreed to take on what I can only call a distressed urban high school.
Bertie Simmons did away with ticket writing, met with each student one-on-one "to listen," set up a school court with a 12 person jury made up of seniors who were authorized to mete out punishment, and turned the school around. I was so impressed, afterwards, I wrote her an email to thank her for her positive human action. She wrote back and said: "Thank you. Working together we can make a real difference."
It was moving to see one person make such a remarkable difference in young people’s lives through de-escalation, personal interaction, caring, and civility.
It is also a reminder of how callous and cruel Governor Hassan’s veto of a bipartisan bill and the recent court decision about school choice in Croydon truly is.
The NH Department of Education used YOUR tax dollars to fight parents and a small town school board to FORCE four students out of an environment they were thriving in, and back to the Newport public school this fall. And, remember, the Montessori school was SAVING the taxpayers of Croydon thousands of dollars per year.
Makes you wonder about the motivation of NHDOE, because unlike principal Bertie Simmons, it doesn’t sound like they have the students’ best interests at heart.
The documentary also made me wonder about our schools in Goffstown and Manchester, and whether questionable conduct by SROs might be taking place in our own backyards? I recall there was one excessive force incident a few years ago at West Manchester High.
We already know our schools are being locked down with alarming frequency, e.g. eleven times in three weeks this May. Are all of these really necessary? Or could it, long-term, be creating a more dangerous situation when students start to see these warnings as "the grown-ups crying wolf, again"? What does it condition children to accept?
In the movie, a young lady who was being bullied struck back after being punched. If this happened outside of school, you would be within your rights to act in self-defense and hit someone who hit you back. But inside this school, BOTH students were punished. So basically, children are being taught they are not allowed to defend themselves.
"Zero tolerance" is a terrible idea. The word "tolerance," after all, means a "willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own." When the state says it won’t tolerate behavior that is different from its own stated goals, like we saw recently in Croydon, we are cruising down the road to tyranny.
As your senator, I will work to reverse this trend towards ever more invasive government, encourage openness and transparency, and make sure your individual rights, and those of your family, are protected above all.
Today’s Union Leader states: "Sullivan County Superior Court presiding judge Brian T. Tucker has sided with the state Department of Education, ruling against school choice in the Croydon School District."
For those of you not familiar with this case, I’ll break it down as simply as I can:
Croydon, pop. 764, has a one room schoolhouse that goes to middle school. After that, kids have to be sent to a neighboring town’s high school. Some of the kids did not do well in the public Newport School, and their parents, working with the Croydon school board, then selected the Newport’s Montessori school instead.
The private Montessori school costs thousands of dollars LESS than the state school, saving Croydon taxpayers $16,000 for the school year. Oh, and the 4 kids thrived.
Enter the Department of Education. Late last year, they filed a motion for injunctive relief to take the kids out of the Montessori school. In the middle of the school year. Initially, the attorney for the DOE argued the state (not the children) would be irreparably harmed if the kids were not removed. After the judge asked for clarification, the DOE lawyer then claimed the students would be harmed if allowed to remain at the Newport Montessori School as part of the town’s school choice program. Thankfully, the judge did not buy this argument, said the DOE had prior knowledge the children were in the Montessori school, and stayed the injunction, letting the kids remain in their school of choice until the end of the school year.
In the meanwhile, school choice advocates worked with legislators to try to clarify the law. During testimony on the bill, the DOE lawyer argued the private Montessori school did not provide "an adequate education." Most of the room, legislators included, erupted in laughter. One legislator said something like: "Are you really arguing private schools are worse than public schools? Surely market forces prove that to be absurd."
The bill handily passed the legislature, however, Governor Hassan vetoed it. Surprise, surprise, Hassan sided with the Department of Education, rather than parents and children. She vetoed what could have created a school choice precedent for New Hampshire’s small towns. She vetoed what could have provided an incredible benefit to Granite State parents and children. She vetoed the idea that your tax money can go to a school that works for your child. She vetoed tax savings to taxpayers. She vetoed something that would have made parents and children happier. She vetoed a bill that would have taken the burden off public schools by removing students whom they have difficulty serving. She vetoed the idea of competing markets provide the best choice for New Hampshire children. She thinks she knows what is best for YOUR child, and she is willing to force you to comply.
Yesterday, Judge Tucker granted a permanent injunction ordering the small-town school district of Croydon to send all public school students to public school in the fall. By order of the state, these kids–and all Croydon students in the future–will be forced to return to–or remain in–a school that does not serve their needs.
The decision is a setback for school choice in New Hampshire, but I am confident the case will be appealed to the NH Supreme Court.
The questions you should be asking yourself:
New Hampshire should be leading the national school choice movement, not taking steps backwards through poor court decisions and vetoes. Between 2001-2013, families making nonresidential school choices via open public school enrollment, home schooling, charter schools and private schools increased 21%.
Students aren’t all the same. Kids don’t all fall into one bucket. Each is unique. We need more choices to address this reality.
As your senator, I will respect this individualism. I will work with you to create more choices in education (and elsewhere), and save the taxpayers some coin in the process.
If you are interested in learning more about NH school choice, join this Facebook group.
Follow me on Facebook at Carla4NHSenate. Please considering donating to my campaign today. Thank you!