(The Center Square) — New Hampshire Republicans are making another push to lift income eligibility limits for school vouchers that divert taxpayer dollars to private and religious schools and homeschooling.
A bill filed by GOP lawmakers calls for eliminating the income eligibility requirements for the state’s Education Freedom Accounts to allow every family to apply for scholarships under the program. The current limit is $109,200 for a family of four.
“This modest bill will have significant benefits,” state Rep. Valerie McDonnell, a Salem Republican and main sponsor of the bill, told the House Education Committee on Thursday. “Every New Hampshire family would be able to choose an educational setting that fits their needs and is most conducive to their child’s learning.”
The proposal was the latest, seeking to lift or eliminate caps on income to qualify for the EFA program. In June, the state House of Representatives rejected a plan to expand the eligibility requirements for the state’s Education Freedom Accounts from the current 350% of the federal poverty level to 425%, or $133,000 a year for a family of four.
New Hampshire, which approved its EFA program in 2021, is expected to spend nearly $28 million to help fund private and religious school educations in the upcoming school year, with an average grant of $5,300 per student, according to the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which oversees the program.
Demand for the vouchers has increased dramatically since the plan was first rolled out. The number of students receiving funding from the program increased from 4,663 during the 2023-2024 academic year to 5,321 at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the state Department of Education. That’s an increase of about 14% or 658 students.
Democrats and other critics argue that New Hampshire’s EFA program lacks transparency on private and religious schools receiving scholarship funds. They say the program siphons much-needed tax dollars from local school districts, forcing some communities to increase property taxes. New Hampshire’s local property tax burden is among the highest in the nation.
Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, a vocal supporter of the program, said it is saving taxpayers money and giving parents more choices. He and other supporters argue that concerns about the program’s financial sustainability are overblown, with the state’s fund for public schools projected to collect $1.2 billion this year.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who was sworn in the office last week, has spoken in support of making the program universal for families of all income levels but suggested the state might not be able to approve the changes this year with budget challenges looming.
“I support every family having the opportunity,” Ayotte told reporters on Wednesday. “I’ll work with the Legislature on that as the ultimate goal. I think that, regardless of whether we get to universal or not, we’ll be expanding those opportunities.”
Nationwide, 32 states provided an estimated $6.2 billion in subsidies to nearly 1 million students through vouchers, education savings accounts, tax credits, charter schools and other forms of school choice, according to a recent EdChoice report. That’s more than double the amount spent in the 2019-20 school year, the data shows.