On Tuesday, 2/2, NH's House Education Committee has a public hearing on HB20 -- a bill to create the most expansive school voucher program in the country. Hey, #NHPolitics let's do a thread!

First, what are school vouchers? Vouchers are public funds (raised through taxes) given to eligible families to use *exclusively* for private schools, religious schools, homeschooling - but NOT public schools.

In this bill, the voucher system is called the Education Freedom Account. You might also hear them referred to as "EFA," for short.

To be specific, HB20 says that the parent, in order to receive a voucher, *must* sign an agreement: "Not to enroll the eligible student as a full-time student in a public school while participating in the EFA program."

In plain, human language, HB20 is a financial incentive for families to leave their public school district.

In even more plain, human language, our *state* legislature is offering money to people to leave their public schools.

How much money are we talking about? The range, per student, would be about $3,700 to $8,400.

To be clear, $8,400 IF a student's family navigates poverty, the student qualifies for special education services, AND the student qualifies for English Language Learner services.

"Okay, Google, how much does private school cost?" The average cost of a year of private education in New Hampshire is $19,383. https://www.privateschoolreview.com/tuition-stats/new-hampshire

So, a student navigating poverty, for example, would need to come up with the difference of, on average, $11,000.

And while there are private school scholarships to cover all of tuition... 1. that already happens and 2. there are limited full-ride (or partial!) scholarships per private school.

Who would be eligible for these school vouchers? Uh, in short, kind of...everyone? Current private school students, yes. Current public school students, yes. Current homeschool students, yes.

What expenses can (and can't) a voucher cover through HB20? Here are a few…

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward tuition and fees for a PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward tuition and fees for a PRIVATE school that is in a state other than NH? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward costs for the SAT or ACT for a student in PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward costs for the SAT or ACT for a student in PUBLIC school? No.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward summer educational programs for a student in PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward summer educational programs for a student in PUBLIC school? No.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward private tutoring for a student in PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward private tutoring for a student in PUBLIC school? No.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward purchasing a computer, internet service, or other type of technology component for a student in PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward purchasing a computer, internet service, or other type of technology component for a student in PUBLIC school? No.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward therapies like occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, auditory (to name a few) for a student in PRIVATE school? Yes.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go toward therapies like occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language, auditory (to name a few) for a student in PUBLIC school? No.

Can the HB20 publicly-funded voucher go to a family who has exclusively attended private schools? Yes.

Can a private school employee, whose child attends the private school for free through a tuition agreement, receive a publicly-funded voucher? Yes.

A question to consider: who are these NH vouchers *really* for? More to come.