Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Education starts at home, with involved parents and the local community

As a product of the New Hampshire educational system and having two family members who worked within it, I am committed to helping provide the best opportunities to the students of New Hampshire.

It starts with parents having a voice, choices, and controls over their children's education, supported by local control.

This past two years in the Senate has brought forth some truly inspired ideas and options for parents, to insure a great education for their children and for local communities to better manage their school systems. We passed SB542, allowing parents to object to questionable material in the classroom. We also passed SB2, putting mandatory never-ending contracts up to local control
Most significantly, we were able to pass major legislation that allows businesses to get a tax credit for contributing to charities that give scholarships to students no matter where they want to go to school. SB372, or the School Choice Act, really does change the game for parents and their children who want educational options. Best of all, the bill has no impact on the state budget.

Looking forward, student enrollment across our state is falling almost 5% a year, while costs continue to rise. This is unsustainable. Ultimately, we face the prospect of neighboring towns competing for the same students. It's going to be those schools that truly excel in providing an affordable world-class education that will survive.

If we are to compete on the national and world stage, we need to give parents the right and ability to choose where, when, and how their children are educated. As your Senator, I will continue to work to empower parents and local school boards.

At the college level, I remain concerned with the future of our young adults and their prospects. We need to reach out and find professors who teach entrepreneurism and emerging technology. We need to teach our children to become the business leaders of the world, to focus on the tools which will create our future and provide them with opportunities for decades. By focusing on products, services and technologies of tomorrow, we can promote a system which will show our schools as "hubs" for development and keep our kids in NH to prosper.

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