CONCORD – Barely a month old, a tax credit for business owners to support private and religious school scholarships is under attack at the Statehouse.
Public school officials and their political allies tried to make the case Thursday for the Legislature to reverse course and repeal its 2012 law that made New Hampshire the 10th state to offer these tax credits.
State Rep. Mary Gorman, D-Nashua, said it’s not right that local property taxpayers are now paying to support two systems, one public and one private
“This money is diverted from public schools to pay private school tuition for a few students and forces taxpayers to support two school systems, one private and one public,” Gorman said.
“The private school does not have the same level of accountability as the public school.”
But House Deputy Republican Leader David Hess, R-Hooksett, said since the Supreme Court has determined education to be a fundamental right then low and middle income parents should have more than one option to send their children to school.
“How can you exercise as right meaningfully if you don’t have choices,” Hess asked rhetorically during a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee.
Politically, this repeal effort over four hours took a major hit, however, with the testimony of State Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton.
Last year, Stiles had been one of two Senate Republicans to oppose the bill along with Sen.![]()
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