HB 1834 sets a fixed enrollment cap of 10,000 students for New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account (EFA) program for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years, instead of allowing the cap to increase to 12,500 under current law. This directly affects families applying for EFA funds to cover private school costs and participating private schools. The bill freezes the cap until 2028, requiring any future increase only if enrollment exceeds 90% of the prior year's cap. The fiscal note estimates this change would save approximately $6.3 million in state spending for fiscal year 2027 by limiting enrollment to 11,250 students instead of 12,500. The bill does not alter eligibility rules or funding per student.
HB 1448 prohibits New Hampshire public schools from including any educational materials created or provided by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in their curricula. The bill amends state education law to explicitly ban WEF lectures, lesson plans, and other educational content from being used in classroom instruction. This directly affects all public school districts and educators in New Hampshire who develop or select curriculum materials. The law requires schools to exclude all WEF-provided materials while maintaining local control over curriculum choices as outlined in existing law.
HB 1792 prohibits New Hampshire public schools and staff from teaching critical race theory, LGBTQ+ ideologies, or specific identity-based pedagogies that the bill defines as promoting division or anti-constitutional views. It specifically bans practices like requiring students to identify "oppressors" based on race/gender, prioritizing identity over shared values, or affirming non-binary gender identities as normative. The bill creates a private right of action, allowing parents or students to sue schools for violations. It explicitly excludes factual, neutral instruction on history or events. The law aims to preserve "neutral or patriotic" education while restricting certain teaching methods deemed divisive.
HB 1427 restricts municipalities, counties, and school districts in New Hampshire from issuing bonds except for declared emergencies, repairs to critical infrastructure (like water systems or public safety facilities), securing matching federal funds, or voter approval through a majority vote. The bill prohibits most bond issuance after January 1, 2027, with a temporary 4-year transition period (until 2031) allowing limited bonds under strict budget caps. Violations would make bonds voidable by taxpayers, with courts able to award legal fees to successful plaintiffs. This directly affects local governments’ ability to finance projects without meeting these specific criteria.
HB 1803 prohibits students from receiving both education tax credit scholarships (under RSA 77-G:2) and education freedom account funds (under RSA 194-F:2) in the same program year. This directly affects students currently using or eligible for both programs, requiring them to choose one funding source per year. The bill also removes an additional $2,036 grant for the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) when students in either program enroll part-time, shifting tuition responsibility to families. These changes aim to prevent duplicate funding and adjust state payments for specific school enrollments.
HB 675 increases the statewide education property tax revenue cap to $773 million for 2025 and requires municipalities to remit excess tax collections to the state education trust fund. It limits school district spending growth on non-facilities expenses by tying annual appropriations to the 3-year average Consumer Price Index (CPI), with stricter rules after 2027. The bill also raises the base per-pupil adequacy cost from $4,100 to $7,356 and mandates annual reporting of district spending to the Department of Education. These changes directly affect school districts and municipalities managing education funding, effective July 1, 2025. (Note: The bill’s title mentioning "central office expenses" does not align with the actual provisions; this summary reflects the actual tax and spending mechanisms described in the bill text.)
