Mary Brown

I am a member of the public I oppose this bill I am writing in strong opposition to HB 1804. This bill would consolidate SAU administration by creating a single elected superintendent for each county and shifting many district-level responsibilities onto school principals and local school boards. This proposal would destabilize our public schools. Superintendents manage complex operational, legal, financial, and instructional systems. Concentrating that work into one elected position per county is unworkable, and pushing the remaining responsibilities onto principals and school boards—who are already stretched thin—would undermine the quality and consistency of education across New Hampshire. Public schools need stable, professional administration, not a structure that removes expertise at the district level and replaces it with an elected county-wide position vulnerable to political pressure. This concern is heightened by recent statements made by a member of the Bedford School Board suggesting that children should be separated in schools based on their parents’ political affiliation. Comments like these demonstrate how quickly harmful ideas can enter local governance when oversight is weakened. Children should never be punished or separated because of their parents’ beliefs or behavior. Public education exists to bring students together, not divide them. HB 1804 moves New Hampshire in the wrong direction. It reduces accountability, overloads school staff, and opens the door to more instability at a time when our schools need support, not disruption. For these reasons, I urge the committee to vote Inexpedient to Legislate on HB 1804.