The consequences of upcoming state tax breaks are likely not at the forefront of the average resident’s mind, but students across the state — from Elm Street to the White Mountains — are feeling the repercussions firsthand.
As an undergraduate at Plymouth State University considering a career as a high school English teacher, I have a deeply vested interest in the long-term health of New Hampshire’s educational systems. As I consider my career options, I ask myself: What school systems am I — and all future teachers — inheriting? I go so far as to wonder: Why would anyone teach in this state when there may be better options a little south of the border?
Over the past year, public and higher education sectors have changed rapidly across the state. Teachers are talking about these changes, but the average citizen is not, which scares me the most — this silence is a preview of my professional reality.
New Hampshire’s public universities are facing a budgetary crisis, but the issues run deeper than the state’s budget sheets. Despite historically low state funding for K-12 and higher education, our schools perform relatively well in state testing and job placement. Chronic underfunding constrains the very resources that create sustainable careers for educators, offer students exploration opportunities and cultivate critical thinking. Even before HB-2 — New Hampshire’s public university system budget — passed in July, the state ranked 50th out of 50 in higher education funding per capita, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
Public universities here have long operated on the leanest budget in the nation, but HB-2 reduced the state’s contribution to the University System of New Hampshire by another 15%. This comes when 56% of high school graduates already leave the state in search of affordable and better-funded colleges. The message is clear: New Hampshire does not value higher education, despite its essential but often intangible benefits to young adults.
Position cuts across the University of New Hampshire, Keene State College and Plymouth State University mean that while students continue to pay last year’s tuition rates, they are receiving fewer opportunities, less faculty expertise and decreasing degree specializations.
Since August, 50 staff members and 29 tenured professors across the three USNH schools took separation packages, according to NHPR, Keene Sentinel and The Clock. Discussions about KSC and PSU becoming sister schools of UNH have also circulated at USNH Board of Trustees and faculty-staff meetings, which would likely cut overlapping majors and faculty positions.
These shifts, often framed as “streamlining,” make higher education less accessible for
many New Hampshire students. For those north of Concord, Plymouth State University is one of the few attainable paths to an advanced degree without relocating or assuming higher costs of living.
If programs are curtailed, degree options shrink and the number of young people with specialized higher education will dwindle. If low-income or geographically isolated students cannot reasonably pursue education beyond high school, what return will they — and their families — see from their tax dollars? What value will our state’s economy see? This erosion of higher education inevitably affects the value of public schooling.
Even K-12 education is changing: the Minimum Standards for Public School Approval — effective December 2024 — lowered credit requirements for English and elective classes, making it harder for students to receive a well-rounded education.
In pointing out the problems faced by New Hampshire’s public school, I am not suggesting that private education, charter schools, homeschooling, or microschools are the solution; Public schools often foster invaluable social skills and diverse interactions that small, like-minded groups cannot replicate. Charter schools often cater only to “a lucky few,” while private schools often appeal to wealthy or well-educated families.
Across the political spectrum, everyone seems to agree that educational improvement in New Hampshire is necessary. However, many of our current attempts at “improvement” involve hefty cuts to programs or financial starvation. Based on relatively high state performance — in spite of our traditionally low budget — it doesn’t seem that money alone will solve our problems.
Rather, our New Hampshire schools require tools to enrich students’ experiences. Thus, salaries need to be incentivizing, and programs must be engaging.
Students from the Lakes Region to the Massachusetts border deserve equal access to opportunity. As reading skills decline, attention spans shorten and socioeconomic gaps widen, it becomes even clearer that emotional enrichment in the classroom and academic success are deeply intertwined. Teaching high levels of specialization is essential to creating a sustainable New Hampshire workforce, but state legislation is limiting education instead. With fewer professors teaching specialized skills, more young people will leave the state. Thus, fewer stay as qualified professionals.
So I return to the questions holding me back from being a New Hampshire English teacher: Why are we underfunding the institutions that allow young adults to stand out in the workforce and grow into well-rounded individuals? Has New Hampshire created an education system worth inheriting?
Meghan “Hazel” J. Hall is a student at Plymouth State University. She lives in Bedford.