February 4, 2026

Governor Kelly Ayotte
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH  03301

Dear Governor Ayotte,

On behalf of the Concord Board of Education, I am asking you to veto HB751 if the House of Representatives concurs with the Senate changes on Thursday. SB101 was added in its entirety to HB751 on Thursday, January 29 in the Senate, without the opportunity for public testimony on its open enrollment provisions, circumventing the legislative process. SB101 covers two important topics, and the public has not had the opportunity to address these issues before the House Education Committee.

SB101 was introduced in the Senate last spring and re-referred to committee because it needed work. On January 7, 2026, the Senate Education Committee recommended ITL 5-0 on SB101. This was reversed on the Senate floor, and the bill was sent to Senate Finance, which held a hearing limited to a non-germane amendment relating to requiring parental consent for audio and video. The amendment and bill passed the full Senate.

The current versions of HB751/SB101 fail to clarify many questions around open enrollment, including defining how capacity will be determined; whether students are still guaranteed seats in their home districts; what happens if a student moves from a private school to a public school outside their home district mid-year; funding and billing mechanisms, and many others. This legislation would go into effect immediately, leaving no time for these questions to be answered or districts to plan.

In addition, requiring parental consent for all audio and video has had a significant impact on our schools. Our superintendent was planning to testify in the House that this bill has restricted classroom activities throughout the district. Students use audio and video on a regular basis, such as creating their own news shows and podcasts. Last year, the General Court failed to listen to education professionals about their concerns with the restrictions on audio and visual use and they are on the verge of repeating that mistake. Please do not allow that. The Concord Board of Education unanimously asks you to veto HB751 and allow SB101 to follow the legislative process.

Thank you for your consideration.

Pamela Walsh

President, Board of Education

Cc: Concord State Representatives