Tag Archives: NHSBA

NASHUA Votes to Stops Funding anti-Parental-Rights : NH School Boards Assoc.

Congratulations to Nashua taxpayers, you will no longer be fleeced by the New Hampshire School Boards Association. The Nashua School Board voted to stop paying dues to the New Hampshire School Boards Association today. (NHSBA)

Everyone needs to contact their local school board members and ask them to do the same. Tell them to eliminate funding of “dues and membership” to the New Hampshire School Boards Association and the New Hampshire School Administrators Association.

These two associations hire and pay six figure salaries to lobbyists that oppose local control of education.

The school board association sends out weekly emails but never designates which way they are lobbying on any particular bill. Nor do they seek input from school boards on these bills.

—The state prohibits the use of its funds from being directly or indirectly used to hire lobbyists under RSA 15. But schools pay dues to these organizations who then hire the lobbyists. Are they ignoring state law or just shuffling the money around?

RSA 15:5 Prohibited Activities. –
I. Except as provided in paragraph II, no recipient of a grant or appropriation of state funds may use the state funds to lobby or attempt to influence legislation, participate in political activity, or contribute funds to any entity engaged in these activities.
II. Any recipient of a grant or appropriation of state funds that wishes to engage in any of the activities prohibited in paragraph I, or contribute funds to any entity engaged in these activities, shall segregate the state funds in such a manner that such funds are physically and financially separate from any non-state funds that may be used for any of these purposes. Mere bookkeeping separation of the state funds from other moneys shall not be sufficient.
Source. 2006, 21:7, eff. June 2, 2006.

When the school district allocates money for professional dues, this money is often pooled with membership dues from other districts and then used to hire a lobbyist. Who controls this lobbyist? Most taxpayers are unaware that their money may be indirectly use against them when they testify before their state legislature. Many times taxpayers are inadvertently funding their opposition without their knowledge. How can the people direct or control the voice of these lobbyists, which not only undermines their voice because a lobbyist can spend weeks in Concord in opposition to their bill, but it discourages individual citizen participation?

NH School Boards Association:list of Bills the NHSBA OPPOSED by using YOUR money:
*HB 1231 relative to school district policy regarding obj. course material
*HB1366 relative to the definition of educational competencies
*SB 354 requiring the commissioner and deputy commission to be confirmed by a joint session of the general court
*SB 355 requiring the member of the state board of education to be elected by a joint session of the general court
*SB 320 relative to non-academic surveys administered by a public school to its students.

For 2010 nearly all the NHSBA revenue $881k came from taxpayers through memberships $734k, policy subscriptions $72k, school district services $37k, school board development $16k, etc. The only revenue which isn’t directly from the tax payers is NHSBA’s investment income $18k. Yet NHSBA hides their policy objectives FROM THE PEOPLE!!!

The NH School Administrators Association‘s lobbyist signed a letter in 2012 to support a Statewide Longitudinal Database federal grant application, which provides private student-level data to the federal government.
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/pdf/NewHampshire2012.pdf page 80

How many taxpayers in New Hampshire, particularly parents, would have given their consent for this type of data-mining of their child’s private information? None. Yet using local taxpayer money, this lobbyist was hired with local taxpayer money and he supported a longitudinal data base that now tracks and stores some 400 data points of information on each and every New Hampshire student.

Taxpayers and parents need to start demanding that their board members vote to STOP funding lobbyists who work against parental rights. If Nashua can do it, all schools in New Hampshire can do the same.

Who’s Working Against Parents In NH? We Are Naming Names

This year is proving to be quite the battle for parents who want control over their local schools versus allowing the Feds to run their schools with the help from the New Hampshire Dept. of Education.

We’ve highlighted pro-parent legislation like HB206 and how Rep. Terry Wolf (R-Bedford) removed written consent from parents, in an amendment, when their children are subjected to invasive surveys on controversial issues like sexual activity, gun ownership, drugs, alcohol, etc.

We’ve highlighted how SB101 was vetoed by Governor Hassan that simply clarified that schools do not have to adopt the Common Core standards. Chairman Raffio of the New Hampshire Board of Education also ignored the voices of parents and objected to SB 101. By placing SB101 in to statute, it would have helped parents who want to direct their local schools to use superior academic standards. Here is a list of State Reps who voted against parents (voted nay)

Democrats and a few Republicans have actively worked against parents and we hope we’ve managed to point out who those legislators are.

We’d like to keep pointing out a trend among the Democrats and a few Republicans who consistently oppose parental rights in New Hampshire. We’d also like to point out that you may actually be paying the salaries of lobbyists who also actively lobby against parental rights legislation too.

Let us remind you that just a few short years ago when Governor Lynch VETOED HB542 which gave parents the right to replace objectionable material (at their expense) that was assigned to their child.

Since then a few parents have exercised their right to replace materials that were assigned to their children that they found objectionable.

The law has worked great to help parents but it has also helped the schools too. How? Often times parents have to fight to remove objectionable material from the class and/or school. Now if one parent objects, they can simply replace the material for their children and not disrupt the class if the rest of the parents are fine with the assignment.

Who stood against parents?
1) Governor Lynch
2) Bill Duncan (who was appointed to the NH Board Of Education By Gov. Maggie Hassan
3 The Nashua Telegraph
4) UNH professors
5) NH School Administrators Association (check your school budget, chances are your taxes are paying this lobbyist)
6) The NH School Boards Association (Check your school budget, chances are your taxes are paying this lobbyist)
7) Lobbyists from the NEA-NH
8) NH Dept. of Education.

It’s important to take note of the same faces/lobbyists who continue to actively work against parents in New Hampshire.

Sources:
http://nhfamiliesforeducation.org/content/hb-542-proposes-end-discrimination-public-schools

https://unh-education-department.wikispaces.com/file/view/Policy_Brief_12-01_on_+HB-542.pdf

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/opinioneditorials/947655-263/parental-rights-law-goes-too-far.html

CALL TO ACTION on NH Senate Bills SB81 & SB82

To NH Parents, Taxpayers & School board members:
SB81 and SB82 restore local control and reign in the over-reach we are seeing from the Commissioner and the NH Board of Education members.  (note: all are POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS and are NOT elected)

It’s important for school board members to CONTACT the NH SBA and make sure they are at the hearings next week to offer testimony supporting both bills.  Remember WE pay the salaries of the NH School Boards Administration through our taxes that go into the School Budget and is paid through dues.  (Check your school budget for a line item of Dues paid to the New Hampshire School Boards Association)

SB81 essentially allows the NH BOE to make rules AFTER the people have spoken through their legislators. ie…instead of the BOE taking what the NH DOE hands them from the US DOE and implements RULES, instead they will have to listen to the PEOPLE.
That’s a simple one if you go and look at Ed.306 (over 90 pages of RULES) that came from the NH Board of Ed last year. Within that 90 pages plus you can clearly see the Obama Ed agenda now put into rules schools must follow.

It’s important that EVERYONE again, supports this legislation and request the NHSBA to also support it.

SB82 is similar. It reigns in the APPOINTED Commissioner of Ed. She is NOT ELECTED and her power is limited in Statute. She does NOT speak for the people and should not be acting as if she guides the Superintendents. WE hire them through our ELECTED local board members and WE PAY THEIR SALARIES.

Private meetings with Superintendents where NO notes are taken and nothing is public violates the public trust and is an over-reach.

It’s important that EVERYONE contact the Senate Ed Members and request that the NHSBA do the same.

Contact the Senate Education Committee :  john.reagan111@gmail.com, nancy.stiles@leg.state.nh.us, molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us, david.watters@leg.state.nh.us, Kevin.Avard@.leg.state.nh.us