Concord resident Elizabeth Corell credits the special education services provided through the state’s public education system with shepherding her son through high school and launching him toward college and ultimately a job at Southern New Hampshire University.

Corell worries that the system her family relied upon may be dismantled if New Hampshire’s Board of Education implements proposed changes to the state’s minimum standards for public schools.

Corell was one of nearly 20 educators and public education advocates who argued during a public hearing last week that the changes would diminish instructional requirements, worsen educational inequality across the state, and create opportunities for private education to replace public education.

Wednesday’s hearing was the first of two opportunities for members of the public to provide feedback to the Board of Education and Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut on the proposed changes, which have been in the works for three years. A second hearing on the standards is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at 25 Hall St. in Concord.

Collectively, several speakers maintained the rule changes would further exacerbate inequality among school districts in New Hampshire by lowering the standards a district must achieve.

“School boards across the state all require clear, robust, and uniform guidance to ensure each New Hampshire student receives an equitable and adequate education,” Dover School Board member Micaela Demeter said. “If this responsibility is largely left to local school boards, an adequate education may look different in each district.”

If adopted as currently drafted, the updated rules would eliminate class size maximums and some subject-specific education requirements.

Some speakers speculated the changes were motivated by a desire to spend fewer state dollars on public education.

“Commissioner Edelblut’s proposed changes walk back the state’s responsibility to define an adequate education, which then absolves the state of its future responsibility to pay for that adequate education,” Demeter said.

Following the hearing, Edelblut rejected the notion that the rule changes were intended to decrease state funding for public education or lower standards. He argued, instead, that the rules would raise educational attainment, citing proposed changes to high school graduation requirements.

Speakers also accused the Board of Education of overstepping its authority by veering into lawmaking.

“Administrative agencies can’t change laws,” said David Trumble, a resident of Weare. “You can only fill in the details.”

The process by which the rule changes have been rolled out has generated controversy over the last few years. Several organizations have criticized the lack of input sought from educators and suggested the development of the new rules should have been handled with greater transparency.

Board of Education Chair Drew Cline indicated the rules remain a work in progress. Following heavy criticism of the removal of class size maximums, Cline described the current language as a “placeholder” that may get replaced by numbers.

“We’re not going to open a free-for-all and say you can put as many students as you want in classes,” Cline said.

Overall, Cline was not surprised by the feedback he received during the nearly 90-minute-long hearing.

“It was just what we expected,” he said.