New Hampshire hearing on HB 115 exposes deep split over expanding Education Freedom Accounts

CONCORD, N.H. — Lawmakers held a packed hearing on House Bill 115 on March 12, hearing hours of public testimony and repeated disagreements about whether removing an income cap on Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) would help children or hollow out funding for public schools.

Representative Valerie McDonald, the bill’s prime sponsor, opened the hearing by framing the measure as a narrow statutory change. “I brought this legislation forward for a number of reasons primarily to fund students not systems, to ensure educational attainment is not limited due to a student's income or ZIP code,” Rep. McDonald said, describing HB 115 as a small language change intended to let more families use EFAs for private school tuition, homeschooling support and approved instructional costs.

The bill would strike the current income restriction from the state’s EFA statute, making the accounts available to any New Hampshire family regardless of income. Supporters — including parents, students and several Republican lawmakers — said the program gives families options when public schools do not meet a child’s needs. “Education should be about funding students, not systems,” Representative Ross Berry said during testimony supporting the proposal.

Opponents and many school officials painted a markedly different picture. Elected officials, public-school board members, teachers and parents who spoke against the bill raised three recurring concerns: cost, oversight and special-education access. Representative Wendy Thomas told the committee, “Voting against HB…