Universal School Choice

Not a single Democrat voted for this bill. All 162 voting Democrats said no to letting every New Hampshire family choose the best school for their child. The Senate passed it 16-8 on party lines; the House passed it 190-178.

After the income cap was removed, enrollment doubled — from about 5,000 to over 10,000 students. Families use EFAs for private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, tutoring, educational therapy, and specialized instruction for children with disabilities. The average EFA award is about $5,000 per student, compared to the roughly $18,000 per-pupil cost in public schools.

Democrats called the program a "voucher scam." Rep. David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) went further, claiming EFAs are "a recruiting tool to bring in Free State freeloaders into the state of New Hampshire" and suspected the program is "really turning into a recruiting tool" to "elect people to local and state government positions that will put in place these sorts of draconian policy." Deb Howes, president of AFT-NH, called it "appalling" that the expansion extends subsidies to families who "can already afford to pay for the education of their choosing." In other words: Democrats think families who can afford school choice don't deserve it — and families who can't afford it shouldn't get help either.