Terry Roy

?TO: House Judiciary Committee FROM: Rep. Terry W. Roy, Chair of Criminal Justice and Public Safety RE: Opposition to HB 1456 – Maintaining Legislative Authority Over Public Education DATE: February 25, 2026 ?Chairman Lynn and Members of the Judiciary Committee, ?I am writing to express my strong opposition to HB 1456. This bill seeks to repeal the legislature’s declaration of authority over public education—a statutory affirmation that is essential for ensuring that New Hampshire’s schools remain accountable to the citizens and the taxpayers who fund them. ?As Chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, I am acutely aware of the importance of maintaining clear jurisdictional boundaries. When we passed the declaration of authority last year, we did so to ensure that the State has the power to protect our students from curricula that are increasingly being used to promote DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and other ideological concepts that many Granite Staters find fundamentally un-American. Without this legislative oversight, we effectively hand over the keys of our education system to local officials who may prioritize social engineering over traditional academic excellence. ?Furthermore, we cannot ignore the fiscal reality. We are seeing a troubling pattern where local education officials implement expansive, high-cost programs and then demand that the State cover the bill. Authority and responsibility must go hand-in-hand. If the State is expected to provide the funding, the State must maintain the authority to set standards and ensure those funds are spent on core educational priorities, not ideological extras. ?Repealing this declaration would be a retreat from our duty to the parents and taxpayers of New Hampshire. It would embolden those who wish to move education away from the "Live Free or Die" values we hold dear and further burden the state’s budget with unaccountable local spending. ?I respectfully urge the committee to vote Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 1456. Respectfully submitted, Rep. Terry W. Roy State Representative, Rockingham 31 Chair, House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee