Georgina Lambert

While it is clear that our current educational system is rendering many students not ready for colllege or employment, this bill would only worsen the problem by 100% ensuring that a great deal many more students will not be eligible for graduation. It forces students to earn 4 math credits for graduation without any legislative insurance or investigation into the quality of this education. The incredibly inequitable funding from community-to-community in NH leads to entire math courses being unstaffed or taught by noncredentialed teachers in some towns. Thus, this will inevitably impact poorer communities much more than wealtheir communities. Currently, the state requirement is 3 math credits, with only wealthier communities like Oyster River and Milford requiring 4 credits. This is likely because they can ensure that all of their math classes are properly staffed and taught, which isn't the case in many communities. I'd much prefer seeing the legislature write an outright ban on the Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) reading system, which has been mandated in schools for decades despite being known to be ineffective, and in my belief, is the biggest reason students today lack academic competency. Let's address the core issue, not punish students further for struggling to meet standards due to insufficient funding and curriculum.