Speaking about funding for charter schools and Education Freedom Accounts during last week’s budget address to the state Legislature, Gov. Chris Sununu said, “Critics say these programs have grown too large. To them, I say this: when a new door of opportunity is opened and our citizens race through it in record numbers, that is not an out-of-control system – that is government finally working. That is government finally ensuring that the system works for families and that the system meets the needs of the child – not the other way around. And that is something we should always fight for.”

Among the critics are the American Federation of Teachers New Hampshire, which is suing on the grounds that using public money to fund private schools violates the state constitution. And we’d argue, the government is not working very well for ConVal and the other districts suing over the state funding formula.

The popularity of the vouchers is hard to dispute, with enrollment increasing from 1,635 students in 2021 to 3,025 in the fall of 2022. And Sununu is looking to give the program – which provides state funding for low-income students to go to private school – a big boost in his budget for 2024-2025.

According to Christina Pretorius, policy director for Reaching Higher NH, the state spent an estimated $15 million on vouchers for the 2022-2023 school year, and the governor is proposing $59.7 million during the next two-year budget cycle, or slightly less than $30 million per year.

Sununu is also looking to make it easier for some families to access vouchers by increasing the income requirements from 300 percent of the federal poverty guideline to 500 percent of the guideline for certain groups, including students in foster care, students in military families and students with disabilities. For a family of four, 300 percent of the poverty guideline is an annual income of $90,000. If students meet one of the other conditions, the limit at 500 percent would be $150,000.

But when Sununu calls the charter schools and vouchers“government finally working,” who’s the head of that government in New Hampshire?

It’s Chris Sununu, and it has been since 2017. He is reportedly considering a run for president, speaking on CBS’ "Face the Nation" about a "New Hampshire model" of leadership because people are “looking for results.”

 Either Sununu’s government is “getting results” and “working,” or it isn’t. Or does it only work for his favored programs?

]]>