Published: February 10, 2023
Key Takeaways
- HB 1532, which would put public money in the hands of private schools, received an 8-6 “do pass” recommendation by the House Education committee.
- Tomorrow at 10 am, join featured speaker Ryan Nagle and Prairie Action for Solidarity Saturdays.
It’s been a busy week at the Capitol. More and more bills are being amended, voted on in committee, and brought to their respective chamber for a vote. Stay tuned to your emails and text messages for Action Alerts and keep reading to learn about new developments relating to our issues of interest.
Vouchers
House Bill 1532, which would put public money in the hands of private schools, received an 8-6 “do pass” recommendation by the House Education committee and is on its way to House Appropriations. Each member of the committee who opposed HB 1532 shared our concerns about the ability of private schools to accept all students and the lack of accountability for public dollars once they go to private schools. Put plainly, private schools do not play by the same rules and regulations that public schools do. They are not required to accept all students, do not have the capacity to accommodate students with additional educational needs, and are not held to the same standards of accountability and transparency. Plus, every taxpayer dollar that funds a private school is a taxpayer dollar taken from public schools and other public institutions. For these reasons and more, we are opposed to HB 1532. Don’t just take our word for it. Click here to read an article about HB 1532 in the Grand Forks Herald featuring NDU member and Grand Forks Education Association President, Melissa Buchhop.
Pensions
Both House Bill 1040 and Senate Bill 2239 received “do pass” recommendations in committee and are headed to their respective Appropriations Committees. As a reminder, HB 1040 would eliminate the defined-benefit pension plan by 2025 and replace it with a less stable, far more expensive defined-contribution plan. Closing the current pension plan would cost taxpayers $5.5 billion over the next 20 years! Senate Bill 2239 would invest in our current pension plan for 1/5th the cost of closing it. North Dakota United believes in investing in the current defined-benefit plan, rather than closing it. While we wait for additional discussion of these bills, take a look at this op-ed in the Grand Forks Herald from Kendal Killian, executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition.
Solidarity Saturday
Tomorrow at 10 am, join featured speaker Ryan Nagle and Prairie Action for Solidarity Saturdays! Solidarity Saturdays is a virtual space for North Dakotans to build communities of empowered and informed advocates so they can raise their voices, support each other, and work for justice and equity. This month the focus is on the state legislature and what they are doing- or not doing- for children in ND. Registration required.
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Keeping the Promise of Quality Public Education & Public Services
With more than 11,500 members across the state, NDU supports equal opportunities for success for ALL North Dakota students, and respect and support for all educators. NDU members are teachers, community college professors, speech pathologists, bus drivers, secretaries, retired educators and student teachers.