CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire legislative committee now controlled by Republicans voted Friday to accept funding from a $46 million federal grant to expand the number of charter schools in the state, a turnaround from last year’s vote when Democrats held the majority.
The Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee voted 7-3 for a $10 million installment for the schools.
New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said the grant will focus on at-risk students. His department was awarded the grant in August 2019, but it was rejected.
Last year, in voting against the funding, the then-Democrat-led committee said New Hampshire needs to support its existing traditional public schools and charter schools first. Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy said in a statement Friday that the grant leaves state property taxpayers responsible for filling a $17 million gap in state funding.
“Today, commonsense prevailed and kids won,” Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. “For two years, hundreds of kids have made the trip to Concord to advocate for what they believed in - and their hard work has finally paid off. Charter schools are public schools, and this game-changing grant will open up doors of opportunity for school children across the state. The right thing to do is always worth fighting for.”
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