NH Students Deserve a Commissioner of Education Who Is QUALIFIED and SUPPORTS Public Education  

UPDATE: The public hearing on the Edelblut nomination will be on Tuesday, January 31st at 1pm at the State House in the Executive Council Chambers.

AFT-NH  ‘Lesson Plan’ on Frank Edelblut

Objectives

• Determine if the nominee for Education Commissioner is qualified to serve the 180,000+ public school students in NH;
• Advise fellow citizens how to have their voices heard on the Edelblut nomination

Background

• Governor Sununu has nominated Frank Edelblut to be the next NH Commissioner of Education.
• Mr. Edelblut served as a state representative for one term and then ran for  Governor.
• Frank Edelblut ran in the republican primary against Gov. Sununu and lost by 800 votes.
• Mr. Edelblut has no background in education.
• Mr. Edelblut has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies. He attended K-12 public school.
• He home-schooled his 7 children.
• His work experience includes Price Waterhouse Coopers, Niagara Corporation and his own business, Control Solutions International.
• He supports school choice in all forms such as private, charter, religious, public schools, and home-school.  As a legislator,  he supported school choice legislation.
• He has never served on a local school board. He did serve on the Water Commission in the Town of Wilton.

What is the job of the Education Commissioner?

•  Department of Education Responsibilities

 21-N:2 Establishment; General Functions. – 
    I. There is hereby established the department of education, an agency of the state under the  executive direction of a commissioner of education. 
    II. The department of education, through its officials, shall be responsible for the following   general functions: 
       (a) Providing general supervision for elementary and secondary schools, teachers and administrators. 
       (b) Providing a variety of educational services to schools and particular groups. 
       (c) Providing vocational rehabilitation and social security disability determination services for persons with disabilities.

• RSA 21-N:3, I  states in relevant part, “…The commissioner and deputy commissioner shall be qualified to hold their positions by reason of education and experience.” 
   
• The specific duties of the Commissioner of Education are outlined in law at RSA 21-N:4  Duties of Commissioner. The Commissioner needs to be qualified  in order to efficiently and effectively run the NH Department of Education and support our schools across the state.

Who approves the nomination of Frank Edelblut as Commissioner of Education?

The five elected members of the NH Executive Council.  The vote could occur as soon as February 1^st.

AFT-NH OPPOSES THE NOMINATION OF FRANK EDELBLUT.

NH STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TEACHERS DESERVE BETTER.

                                                                      You can express your opinion about this nomination by sending an email to all five Executive Councilors at gcweb@nh.gov.

http://sabea.ny.aft.org/files/jan_2017_sabea.pdf

Click here!

AFL-CIO Metropolitan Council Delegation swearing in ceremony of delegates representing the City Union of Baltimore on January 19, 2017 held at the Metropolitan Baltimore Council located at 2701 West Patapsco Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230.

AFT-Maryland in conjunction with a number of community partners and union allies participated in the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) National Day of Action to #ReclaimOurSchools on Thursday January 19th at City Springs Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore.

Bow, NH
January 20, 2017 

Yesterday, the NH Senate passed SB 11, the so-called ‘right to work’ bill, by a vote of 12-11.  Ten Democratic senators were joined by Republican Senator Sharon Carson in opposing the bill, while one Republican Senator, Robert Guida, was absent and did not vote.  By this action, the Republican majority in the NH Senate (excepting Senator Carson) makes clear where it stands.  Their aim is to weaken organized labor and the ability of working people to negotiate collectively and have a powerful voice in the workplace.  When organized labor is strong, working people are strong, wages rise, benefits improve, and there is greater mutual respect and equality in the workplace.  ‘Right to work’ intends to reverse gains made in New Hampshire over nearly the past fifty years, and in tandem with other legislation, will turn New Hampshire into the low-wage haven of New England.
 

Colleagues,

Whereas United Faculty of Florida-FSCJ represents 400 faculty members who are residents of the greater Jacksonville area,

And whereas a number of our tens of thousands of students and faculty are members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community,

JoAnn Volk

January 11, 2017

Much of the recent attention on the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has focused on the fate of the 22.5 million people likely to lose insurance through a repeal of Medicaid expansion and the loss of protections and subsidies in the individual insurance market. Overlooked in the declarations of who stands to lose under plans to “repeal and replace” the ACA are those enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans — the primary source of coverage for people under 65.