Education Commissioner Virginia Barry

I would like to know why the NH House Education Sub-Committee is proposing to survey Superintendents in regards to Home Educators? Are you going to survey Home Educators? Why focus resources on home Educators which are doing fine and don't need any more oversight? It's the parents constitutional right to teach their child, it is NOT the state's right to have any say. There are programs in place if a parent is not educating their child; home educators need NO oversight from the gov't, NOT more, it is unconstitutional.

There is great inequality in schools in NH, in the programming that students receive, the problem is not always money. Currently local leaders choose the programing that is available in their high schools. Charter schools are a way for students in NH to have choice and equity, an opportunity to develop and excel within their strengths, some kids do excel despite their odds, but too many NH kids are not developing and not excelling. What needs to be done so that NH can spend it's resources more wisely and aim to provide students with programming that meets their needs and keeps them motivated to be successful within a rigorous core content curriculum ?

Congratulations again, Dr. Barry.

As we all know, local funding of education creates a variety of inequities from town to town. How can residents across the state, and nation, be reminded that an educated citizenry is the foundation of a successful democracy? How can that abstract notion be linked to local and state-wide decisions about distributing school dollars?

For years I have argued with the traditional criterion we used to screen and hire public school teachers. While one can always find teachers who excel in all sorts of ways, mediocrity abounds. I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with scores of individual with great knowledge backgrounds, high levels of emotional intelligence, great communication skills and a DESIRE to teach in our public schools who have been told they need not apply until they have a specific degree or other traditional credential. I have never seen any indication of a positive correlation between these credentials and teaching excellence. If we are going to educate the whole child/person we need "whole" teachers teaching! I wondered if the Commissioner was willing to challenge the status quo in this regard. Thanks for listening.