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Lawmakers consider requiring Department of Education to retain records for closed charter schools; DOE seeks fee authority
Summary
Representative Fellows introduced House Bill 740 to require the Department of Education to maintain student records for state‑authorized charter schools that close. DOE officials supported the idea but asked for fee authority and rulemaking to cover administrative costs; supporters said the change would help students who need transcripts after a
CONCORD — House Bill 740 would require the New Hampshire Department of Education to retain permanent student records for charter public schools authorized by the state board when those schools close, aiming to ensure students and alumni can obtain transcripts if a charter school ceases operations.
Sponsor’s rationale: Representative Fellows said the bill responds to confusion that arose when a Concord charter school closed and there was uncertainty about how to locate student records. Fellows traced the history of the permanent‑record requirement for local school districts and said charter schools that are approved by the state board should be covered by the same safety‑net for records.
Department of Education view: DOE staff told the committee the department already acts as a custodian for records when certain post‑secondary institutions or career schools close and maintains a transcript‑processing function. However, DOE witnesses said expanding the role to closed charter schools would create an administrative workload and requested authority to charge a nominal fee to recoup costs, pointing to the department’s existing $25 transcript fee for closed higher‑education institutions as a model.
Other testimony: Heather Barker of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association supported the proposal, saying families and students are protected when a state entity preserves records. Department staff noted that 10 charter schools have closed since the charter program began, representing roughly 2,300 student enrollments in total; they argued a centralized record would help resolve problems when records were not forwarded to a receiving district.
Why it matters: Students who graduate or earn credentials from a charter school that later closes need a reliable record custodian to verify transcripts for employment, military service and continued education. The measure would create a uniform procedure for closed charter schools approved by the state board, similar to existing practice for closed colleges.
What’s next: DOE recommended statutory language that includes fee authority and rulemaking to enable the department to staff and process requests; committee members signaled they would consider that approach.
