New Hampshire governor calls to expand school choice

New Hampshire’s freshman Gov. Kelly Ayotte was applauded for endorsing school choice in her inaugural address.

After being sworn into office on Thursday, Ayotte addressed the New Hampshire government and advocated for education freedom and other reforms.

“As a mother, I understand that every child learns differently and that we should give each child the opportunity to be in the education setting that allows them to reach his or her full potential,” she said.

Ayotte acknowledged public schools “are not working for every child,” despite New Hampshire spending nearly $22,000 per pupil annually.

“I applaud the work the legislature has done to expand opportunities for families through education freedom accounts and look forward to strengthening and expanding this program to ensure more families have the freedom to put their children in the learning environment that is best for them,” she continued.

State legislators are already proposing a bill to make the state’s existing school choice program universal. It is currently limited by income.

While such measures have previously been unsuccessful, Republicans now have a stronger majority in the state Legislature.

Other proposed reforms include banning cell phones in schools and renewing an emphasis on trades and workforce training.

“Our businesses are desperately in need of workers,” Ayotte explained. “We’ve got a generation retiring, and we do not have enough young people considering these critical jobs.”

She also emphasized the need to maintain high standards in academics, countering the trend of grade inflation.

“We can’t allow our standards to slide, because the student is the one who pays the price for our unwillingness to have tough conversations about whether they are truly prepared for the next step.”