Heather Lawson

I am a mother of 3 children who are now ages 13, 16, and 19. We moved to NH during a time of grief following the unexpected death of my husband and their father when they were just 2, 4, and 8. We came here for a fresh start, for nature and to build community. In our first year in NH my oldest child was not able to keep up with grade level curriculum and he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. In order to make progress (about two grade levels behind) he was getting pulled out of classes for 1:1 instruction for almost two hours every day. While he made great strides in academic achievement, his self-esteem tanked and his joyful personality dissolved from exhaustion. It was then I began to look into other schooling options. The toll his school days took seemed too great. Our family was lucky enough to become one of the early recipients of the ETC scholarship. At the time, I was in graduate school and this award allowed my oldest to attend a private school where he had access to an education that supported ALL of his areas of intelligence. He is a kinesthetic learner and needs hands-on, creative, varied curriculum. It was still financially difficult, but I was able to borrow money and work extra to come up with the difference to afford tuition. My other children entered school soon, grandfathered in on the ETC scholarship. MY youngest has a similar academic profile. As a single parent providing fully for my family, the nurturing community, aftercare options, and supportive curriculum of their school was truly what made life possible. They were happy and thriving. It soon began to stretch us financially, however, once all the children entered elementary even with the generous ETC. It came to the point that I was not going to be able to sustain it. The EFA program began and was a miracle for our family; it allowed my children the continuity they needed to stay in their community and school, even in high school. I especially loved how it brought more diversity into our school and it made this education accessible to so many more people. My son completed high school and in is now thriving in a performing arts career that would NOT have been possible without both the ETC and EFA funds. When he was unable to keep up with some of the academic rigor of his curriculum without a cost to his mental health, I was able to direct EFA and ETC funds toward a vocationally focused schooling track, and he gain specialized training in his field alongside creative high school course work at home . My second child is currently thriving in high school as a straight A student, and is engaged in all that the school has to offer in sports and extracurricularly. My youngest hopes to follow, and will enter 9th grade next year-potentially in an athletic-focused specialty program. A private school option can mean the difference between of a good quality of life or one filled with struggle and even mental health risks— is out of reach for most families even with financial aid and ETC funds. My children will not be able to continue the last stretch of their schooling in their current environment if both funding sources are not available, and I know many others in the same position. So many families will not have the opportunity to choose what is best for their children once again, and it will be step backwards. Please do not pass a bill that will prevent all families from real access to the education their children may need.