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CONCORD, NH – Governor Chris Sununu escalated his war on New Hampshire teachers on Thursday during a talk with the CATO Institute, accusing the teachers’ unions in the state of just being “out for their own interests.”
This new line of attack comes on the heels of a year of constant assaults on public education in New Hampshire by Sununu and the NH GOP House and Senate, including the NH GOP enacting a voucher program gutting public school funding and raising property taxes across the state.
It also follows “divisive concepts” legislation passed by Sununu and the NH GOP House and Senate that has put NH teachers at high risk of professional and legal ramifications for teaching topics such as racism and sexism in public schools. Legislation which resulted in a bounty system on in-state teachers, and prompted lawsuits filed by both of New Hampshire’s largest teaching unions and ACLU NH against Sununu’s Commissioner of the Department of Education, Frank Edelblut.
Yesterday, an NH GOP House member introduced legislation that would expand their “divisive concepts” requirement to public colleges and universities across the state.
“Instead of attacking New Hampshire teachers and pushing a costly school voucher program that will gut public education, Chris Sununu ought to be doing his job and working to fund public education for all students in New Hampshire. Chris Sununu and the NH GOP need to end their obsessive culture war on US history that’s hurting Granite State children, and let teachers teach,” said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley.
FULL REMARKS HERE (Comments on Teachers starts at 20:32)
BACKGROUND:
The Washington Post: N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu backs limits on teaching about race — and a majority of his diversity council quits
NHPR: N.H.’s largest teachers’ union joins suit over law restricting teachings on racism, oppression
Forbes: The Cost Of New Hampshire’s School Voucher Program Is Mushrooming
Reaching Higher NH: School voucher program will cost public schools over $477K after “phase-out” grants in 2023, according to state estimates
NH Bulletin: Republicans open new front in ‘divisive concepts’ legislative debate: colleges
Union Leader: House GOP leader seeks to extend controversial teaching ban to colleges