Decision Watch 2024: Granite Staters Deserve a Governor Who Won’t Attack Public Education

Decision Watch 2024: Granite Staters Deserve a Governor Who Won’t Attack Public Education

After Gov. Chris Sununu closed out his out-of-state press tour earlier this month by promising to make a decision around July 4th about whether he will seek a fifth term, the Democratic Governors Association is helping make his decision a little easier this week by reminding him of all the ways he has failed Granite Staters and shown them that he doesn’t want the job.

Under Gov. Chris Sununu’s leadership, New Hampshire has gone all-in on an unconstitutional school voucher scheme that siphons funds away from public schools and gives them to private schools, threatening to raise costs for taxpayers just to keep schools from closing their doors, particularly in rural areas — making it harder for both teachers and parents to ensure their kids have access to the best education possible. A state report last year also found that Sununu’s signature education accomplishment is millions of dollars over budget, and that the majority of the funds have benefited students and families that weren’t enrolled in public schools to begin with.

To make matters worse, as New Hampshire families see funding stripped away from public schools, Sununu has also gone all-in on extreme legislation to ban books and make it harder for teachers to help students learn, adding an extra challenge to an already dire teacher shortage.

“As Granite Staters await an announcement from Gov. Chris Sununu on whether he will seek a fifth term, they know that if he stays in office, public education will remain under attack,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Izzi Levy. “Public schools are the lifeblood of communities across New Hampshire, and Gov. Sununu put those communities at risk by abandoning them for a scheme backed by out-of-state groups that guts funding for rural schools, students and teachers. Granite Staters need a governor who will invest in public schools, not defund them.”

Earlier this week, the DGA reminded New Hampshire voters of the other reasons Sununu is unfit for another term, including abandoning the state for his cross-country press tour, signing the most extreme abortion ban in modern New Hampshire history, and failing to address the state’s worsening housing crisis.