NH State Board of Education

February 2, 2010

Dear Chairman Lyons & Honorable Members,

On January 25 a minority of the House Education committee sent you a letter in which they claimed that “many members have grown concerned about the level of accountability for home education programs.” As the chair of the committee stated in the letter, an amendment failed in committee and then, on the full floor of the House of Representatives, the bill (HB 368) was summarily killed without debate by a substantial 324-34 vote. The voice of the legislature was loud and clear on this issue in recent weeks, as it was in 2009 when HB 367 was also heard and killed in similar fashion; the House has sought fit to leave thehome schooling issue alone. It was inappropriate for the chair of the Education committee to send this letter to you on committee letterhead, not representing the whole committee, not even a majority of it, or the House of Representatives, in suggesting changes to the rules procedure.

There has been long-standing policy that administrative rules are not changed without some legislative guidance, and that guidance has been unequivocally issued by an overwhelming vote of the whole House, not a minority of the Education committee which sent you that letter. I hope that you will take the letter sent by Rep. Rous and her eight colleagues on the committee as comments not reflected by House Leadership nor of the Education committee as a whole.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Rep. Sherman Packard

House Republican Leader