Megan Surette

My name is Megan Surette, and I am a single mother of four children in New Hampshire. I am submitting testimony in opposition to HB 1803. My children were abandoned by their father, who fled the country, remarried overseas, and stopped paying child support & alimony. I am a survivor of domestic violence and live with C-PTSD. We have no family support nearby. For the past four years, my children have attended Pine Hill Waldorf School. This wonderful school community has been essential to their stability and healing after trauma and abandonment. One of my daughters has a learning disability related to trauma, and this environment has been in her best interest for her stability and emotional support. My children can only remain at their school because the Education Freedom Account (EFA) and the Education Tax Credit (ETC) scholarship work together. If HB 1803 passes, my children would not be able to attend their school anymore. These programs also allow my children to access tutoring, community-based extracurriculars, and summer camps that keep them engaged, supported, and rooted in their community during an incredibly difficult chapter of their lives. HB 1803 would directly harm families like mine who rely on these programs together to provide stability, continuity, and opportunity for children recovering from trauma. EFAs and ETC scholarships do not duplicate support—they complement each other in ways that truly serve children. Please do not pass HB 1803.