Granite Staters care about educational issues that impact our children’s lives and academic outcomes. In mid September we invited all New Hampshire senatorial candidates to send letters to School Choice for NH about their views on education policy, and educational opportunities in particular. We will publish them without edits between now and the general election on November 6th. We hope it is a helpful tool for candidates to share their views about important education policies as well as for NH families to better know candidates.
The following letter is from Senator Kevin Avard, incumbent candidate for district 12. This district includes Greenville, Mason, Brookline, Rindge, New Ipswitch, Hollis, and areas of Nashua.
For New Hampshire families, the choice of where to educate your children is one of the most important that a parent will ever make. When you purchase a house, the realtor touts the “great public school system.” We all save our pennies in a college fund from the day that they are born in hope of having enough money to someday pay their tuition. It is a very real concerns that all parents go through. My wife Tracy and I have five children and three grandchildren, and we have felt this pain many times over.
Unfortunately for many families, putting your child in a great school is not always as easy as simply moving to better neighborhood. Some don’t have the financial ability. Some have local obligations that require them to stay in a certain area. Some simply like their current home.
This is why I support school choice for New Hampshire. All children deserve the opportunity to succeed and innovative new approaches to education such as voucher programs, charter schools and home schools are a great way to achieve this.
Like many in this state, I did not grow up in a wealthy household. My family could not afford to send me to private school. I know how it feels when a low-income family, that simply wants to do what’s best for their child, is forced into a school system that is failing. If we have the opportunity to give families a way out, I believe that we should do everything in our power to take it.
Additionally, I have fought against dyslexia my entire life. Traditional schools were not always the best choice for kids like me. Luckily, through hard work and support I was able to succeed in life, but other children are not always so lucky.
The one size fits all model of our public schools does not always work. This past session I supported SB 193, a bill to enhance school choice in NH and If I am re-elected I will continue to be a leader in the state on school choice. Educating our children is far too important of an issue to simply continue down the path of mediocrity. We need real solutions and real results and improving educational opportunities is a great first step toward improving our children’s futures.
Thank You,
Senator Kevin Avard – District 12
