Harassment or accountability?
I read the recent Concord Monitor article about the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program and the Children’s Scholarship Fund removing its spending reports due to “harassment concerns.” The only example offered was a taxpayer calling a business to verify a charge. That’s not harassment — that’s basic oversight.
And oversight is exactly what’s missing. We’re often told EFAs save money because public school students will leave, reducing district costs. But the Department of Education’s own data shows that very few students actually leave for vouchers. The Monitor reported only 343 students switched statewide this year — far too few to reduce costs or lower property taxes.
Meanwhile, the program’s cost keeps climbing. EFAs were budgeted at $39 million this year and are already $12 million over, pushing the total to about $51 million. All of it comes from the Education Trust Fund, which was created to support public schools and ease the local tax burden. Instead, millions are being siphoned into a program with minimal oversight and no evidence of savings.
With public schools facing shortfalls across the state, taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability. A $12 million overrun should alarm every legislator — and every voter.
New Hampshire needs leaders who put public schools and taxpayers first, not the agenda of outside groups.