As I hang my stocking and make my New Year’s resolutions, I’m hoping for what the State of NH seems unwilling to deliver: a fair budget that actually meets the needs of families like mine. Here’s my holiday wish list: A school budget that doesn’t leave kids in the cold. Our schools shouldn’t have to beg for basics like heat, transportation or principals. Adequate funding for public education isn’t a gift, it’s a constitutional obligation. Maybe instead of funding private school vouchers, we could re-prioritize quality public schools that serve all kids. Sustainable child care funding. Child care keeps parents working and kids thriving. Yet tuition is skyrocketing, providers can’t pay their own bills, and there’s no long-term plan. We need solutions and stability. Maternal health solutions. Moms shouldn’t have to drive for hours to find a labor and delivery unit. The closure of maternal health care facilities is putting lives at risk. Let’s prioritize the health of NH moms, babies, and families, it’s a gift that lasts a lifetime.
High cost of living relief. Between food, healthcare, and heating costs, families are stretched thinner than a Charlie Brown tree. Investments that directly lessen the squeeze on working families would make the season brighter. NH’s pandemic federal funds are heading out the chimney, and with seemingly endless tax cuts for the ultra rich and multinational corporations, working families are left with a lump of property-tax coal. Here’s hoping our leaders come together to support NH families this season.
MacKenzie Nicholson
Nottingham