When New Hampshire approves funding for any program, including education, transportation, health care, and social services, the public has a right to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent legally and as intended. And the results are as expected. States owe taxpayers money as required by law.
But the controversial state school voucher program appears to be getting a different treatment. The 2022 law requires the state Department of Education to audit how it administers voucher programs. The ministry has a contract with a private children's scholarship fund to administer the program, but the ministry treats the data as nuclear secrets and does not plan to release the information. It is outrageous that the Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA), tasked with auditing the program, cannot access information about students and families receiving state-funded vouchers.
There is no data access or auditing. If nothing bad is going on, why keep the data in a black box and not submit it to a legally required audit? Is something fishy going on? The people of New Hampshire have a right to know whether tens of millions of dollars in state funding for vouchers are being spent appropriately. Are all participants actually eligible to receive the funds? What are the demographics of those receiving the vouchers? How are the funds used? What do public schools need for students who drop out? Have you been reimbursed? These are some of the questions that auditors must investigate for legally required audits.
This kind of fight over data should not happen. The contract between the state and the Children's Scholarship Fund states that the state has access to the contractor's books, records and accounts for purposes of complying with the law. It also states that data is a national asset. Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut should abide by all four corners of the law and demand that the Children's Scholarship Fund release its data immediately, but this would be anathema to him as he is deeply involved in the voucher community. .
Millions more should not be spent on new voucher programs until this issue is resolved and the data is revealed to auditors. First, you need to know that the funds already approved are being used in full compliance with the law. Three bills currently being considered to expand the state's voucher program and create a new program for preschoolers should not see the light of day, at least until this situation is resolved. We should not be pouring more money into programs that refuse to shine a light on their books.
Of course, all this raises questions. Why spend education money on vouchers with no accountability when we don't adequately fund regular public schools, which the majority of students attend and whose data, by the way, is open to everyone? look?
Follow the law, show your books to the state auditor, and let taxpayers know how their money is being spent. Letting in sunlight is the right thing to do.
Deb Howes is president of AFT New Hampshire.
