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N.H. Senate Passes 'Croydon Bill,' A Victory For School Choice Advocates

The state senate passed a bill today that would allow school districts to use tax money to send students to qualifying private schools if there is no public school available in the district.

The so-called Croydon Bill was born out of a legal dispute between the Croydon school board and state officials.

Croydon, which does not have a public school for grades 5-12, began paying for a handful of students to attend a private Montessori School in nearby Newport.

A judge ruled that illegal and ordered Croydon to stop the payments.

The issue became a flashpoint for school-choice advocates in the state, eventually inspiring this legislation, which if signed into law, would allow the Croydon school board to contract with the Montessori School again.

Governor Chris Sununu and state Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut have both signaled their support for the bill.

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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