Charter school News and Updates May 2024

Working on behalf of NH Public Charter Schools since 2016

Dear Charter School Supporters,

Get ready to celebrate! National Charter School Week is just around the corner, running from May 11th to May 18th! Join us as we commemorate the achievements of our 31 outstanding charter schools in New Hampshire, serving a total of 5,162 students. Let's also recognize the broader impact of charter schools across the nation, with over 8,000 schools and 3.7 million students benefiting from this innovative educational approach. It's a week to celebrate success and the transformative power of charter education!

NH Charter School Celebrations

Our charter schools in NH are dedicated to enhancing the educational experience for both students and teachers, investing significant time and effort toward achieving their goals. We extend our congratulations to the following charter schools for their notable accomplishments:

The Microsociety of Nashua and Spark Academy of Manchester have both received a charter renewal for another five years. Microsociety has been providing quality education for the past ten years while Spark Academy has been serving students for five years. Congratulations to both schools for their commitment to providing quality education to their respective communities.

Congratulations to North Country Charter Academy (NCCA), the first charter school in NH, for celebrating its 20th year! NCCA was established in 2004 through collaborative efforts of North Country Education Services and ten school district superintendents. During the past 20 years, they have graduated over 600 students!

If you would like to submit a celebration about your school for the next newsletter, please submit an email here.

The Alliance Has Launched a New Website!

The Alliance has been hard at work updating our website which will serve as a hub for all things related to charter schools. Please take a moment to check out the new features and add the website to your bookmarks! https://nhcharterschools.org

REMINDER: The National Charter School Conference

The National Charter School Conference (NCSC) will be held close to home in Boston this year 6/30-7/3. It will a great time to network amongst your peers, advocates and other leaders in the charter school movement.

Click here for more information and registration. Hope to see you there!

Clean School Bus Program

The National Alliance is co-sponsoring a Green Charter Funding Webinar series. The federal government has announced billions in funding for environmentally sustainable projects supporting schools. The next webinar on Thursday, May 16th at 1pm, focuses on the Clean School Bus Program, a grant program for schools to transition to electric buses. Click here to register. For additional webinars in this series follow linkedin.com/company/fredcharter.

May Membership Meeting Dates 2024:

Please join the NH Alliance for Public Charter Schools for our final monthly membership meeting for the 2023-2024 school year on May 28th. Enjoy an evening of networking, delectable appetizers, and enriching board training tailored specifically for your board members. School leaders are encouraged to join as well. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with and support your board members. Please sign up as soon as possible, space is limited.

May 28, 2024

6pm - 8pm

Nashua Country Club

25 Fairway St.

Nashua NH 03060

Click Here to Register

Legislative Updates

HB1583 relative to the per pupil cost of an adequate education

Spearheaded by Representatives Wheeler, H. Howard, Selig, and Kenney, HB1583 aims to enhance the per pupil cost of an adequate education. The bill proposes an increase in the base adequacy funding, elevating it from $4,100 to $4,404 per pupil for every public school student. It also increases aid by $60 million for school districts with low property values and a high number of students who qualify for free & reduced lunch.

The Senate Finance Committee held a public hearing on April 30th to discuss the bill, and there was strong bipartisan support. You can show your support the bill by emailing the Senate Finance Committee here.

We'll diligently monitor the progress of this bill and promptly share any updates. Click here to read the bill in its entirety.

HB1646 relative to chartered public schools

HB1646 is sponsored by Reps. Luneau in the House Education Committee. This State Representative is proposing to add language to the existing definition of New Hampshire's public charter schools, inserting the word private into current law among other changes.

The Education Committee sent the bill for Interim Study back in March for further discussion and research. The bill remains in committee at this time. Click here to contact a representative on the committee as they study the effects this bill could have on charter schools. Click here to read the bill in its entirety.

Would you like to start a charter school in your area? Do you want to learn more about the process in New Hampshire? If so contact us today! We are here to answer your questions and we assist groups at no charge.

About Us

Based on our core belief in supporting innovation in public education, the NH Alliance for Public Charter Schools calls upon over a decade of experience creating, operating, and supporting NH Charter Schools through peer support, models for best practice and for sustainable leadership, and boosts the public's understanding through the sharing of non-partisan information.