News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Remarks delivered at the 12/16/25 meeting of the Wilton-Lyndeborough School Board I’ve attended many school board and budget committee meetings over the past six years in person and online, and I have read all the minutes from both boards since August. I was surprised when an administrator at a recent meeting mentioned some recent standardized … Read more
New Hampshire’s public schools have problems. No matter how much money we pour into them, the results get worse. Money, therefore, mathematically, economically, academically, and scientifically, is not the answer. Money, practically speaking, leads to worse outcomes. This fact aligns two problems in a common solution. Schools are the reason why property taxes are so … Read more
Someone mentioned to me recently that Rep. Hope Damon has introduced a bill to change the way school superintendents are credentialed. It’s classic Damon: Some parts of the bill refer to other sections of the bill that don’t exist. And the bill makes no reference to the Ed Rules that already exist. The bill reads like … Read more
4th Highest Per-Pupil Spending Growth As New Hampshire’s K-12 public schools experienced the largest enrollment decline of any state this century, they enjoyed the fourth-highest increase in per-pupil spending, according to a new analysis from the Reason Foundation’s K-12 Education Spending Spotlight. Per-pupil public education spending in New Hampshire grew by 60.5% from 2002-2023, the fourth-highest … Read more
The abysmal state of Public education cannot be overstated—an increasing investment in declining results. Sorry. I’m presuming things, like the purpose of the buildings and the system, is to teach kids to learn. As observed here, So we’ve been told for years, that we have to fund schools. And what about the teachers? And what … Read more
A Citizen’s Call to Reclaim the Bill of Rights and Local Control of Schools For thirty-two years, New Hampshire has lived under a judicial decree that most citizens have never heard of, yet it reaches into every wallet and every classroom in the state. In 1993 and 1997, in a pair of rulings known as … Read more
This is not breaking news but deserves repeating. Mill Moore, writing for Campaign for Vermont exposed this startling new reality earlier this month in a terrific article highlighting Vermont’s decade-long public school performance nosedive, which has coincided with an upward trend in math and literacy scores in Mississippi. Yeah, that Mississippi. The (formerly) “Thank God … Read more
How power quietly shifts when no one’s watching A mafia and a school board seem like total opposites. One rules through fear and secrecy; the other is supposed to represent voters in the open. But look more closely at how decisions are made, and a strange similarity emerges. In both cases, a small, organized group … Read more
The Committee on the Future of Public Education is circulating an online survey to gauge public awareness and opinions regarding Act 73, the public education reform law that intends to restructure and consolidate Vermont’s school districts. While the introduction to the survey references that “The law was enacted in response to residents’ concerns about high … Read more
Remember Ruth Ward, who helped repeal the only RSA that actually required schools to bring students to proficiency in reading and math? She’s at it again. She has proudly announced a new bill that would allow the Claremont school district to collect its adequacy funds before attendance is confirmed, at the beginning of the year. … Read more
Many districts in New Hampshire have not elevated math education in our public schools.
Several parents in Pelham have reached out to me about a newly elected school board member who ran on a platform of improving public schools. Pelham students have been struggling academically for years, and teacher retention continues to be an ongoing issue. I know this personally—former teachers have contacted me directly to describe the poor … Read more
The financial website Wallet Hub just came out with state rankings for public education, and Vermont came in overall 19th out of the fifty states. Pretty “meh” on the surface. But the overall score was based on components of outcomes and safety, and purely on the outcomes side, Vermont ranks 25th. That’s more like a … Read more
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has signed House Bill 361, which prohibits local school districts from imposing any mask mandates in schools or district property at the local level. This bill prohibits school boards and other public education agencies from adopting, enforcing, or implementing a policy that requires students or members of the public to wear … Read more
Public schools are fully engaged in mental health treatment in New Hampshire’s schools. But does any of this actually help children? We now task school counselors and teachers with assessing and treating a child’s mental health while they attend school. There have been numerous problems with this initiative in our schools. We’ve found that some … Read more
Ian Underwood, a scientist and mathematician (not to mention a libertarian), breaks down why we should rethink how schools measure success and the impact it should have on education funding. Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Follow these links for … Read more
This is the conclusion from Lucy Foulkes, who at one time, believed bringing mental health therapies and services into the schools would help students. She is now explaining why mental health services in the schools, are not working: The reality is more sobering. Researchers have now run many studies testing the impact of universal school … Read more
Buses built by Lion Electric are bursting into flames across the fruited plains. The fires have prompted a local transportation company providing bus service to a Vermont school district to discontinue use. After reported fires in Lion Electric buses across the country, Student Transportation of Vermont removed Barre Town’s buses for safety precautions. They reached … Read more
The New Hampshire School Administrator Association Executive Director, Dr. Mark MacLean, and Associate Executive Director Jerry Frew discuss the role of school superintendents and their staff, why their six-figure salary is justifiable, and their perspective on school funding. Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, … Read more
President Trump issued an Executive Order ending the era of Obama discipline policies in public schools. In the EO, you will see how Obama pressured schools (by withholding federal funds) so his policies would be implemented in public schools: *In 2014, the Obama Administration issued guidance pressuring schools (including with threatened loss of federal funding) … Read more