New Hampshire Law Allows Colleges to Teach in K-12 Schools

The Community College System of New Hampshire's dual-enrollment program, running for 26 years, has served around 11,000 students, with more high schools participating each year. The program allows high school seniors to graduate with full associate's degrees. A new state law, House Bill 90, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte this month, allows K-12 schools to hire faculty from New Hampshire's colleges and universities to teach up to 20 hours a week of classes. This law is meant to help schools with staffing shortages and scheduling difficulties. However, critics argue it could lead to lower pay for teachers and potentially degrade the quality of instruction.

Key Takeaways:

• The Community College System of New Hampshire has been offering a dual-enrollment program for 26 years, serving over 11,000 students.
• The program allows high school seniors to graduate with full associate's degrees.
• House Bill 90, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, allows K-12 schools to hire faculty from colleges and universities to teach up to 20 hours a week of classes.
• Critics argue the law could lead to lower pay for teachers and potentially degrade the quality of instruction.
• The law applies to all courses, not just dual-enrollment courses for college credit.
• It allows a school to hire faculty members for standard math or English classes.
• Faculty members hired under the new law must have "expertise or significant professional experience" to teach in the schools and pass a criminal background check from the Department of Education.

Statistics:

• The Community College System of New Hampshire has served around 11,000 students through its dual-enrollment program.
• The program has grown from 25 participating high schools to over 100.
• Faculty members hired under the new law can teach up to 20 hours per week of classes.
• The law requires the faculty members to abide by the state's code of conduct that applies to K-12 teachers, even though they have no credentials that could potentially be revoked.

Sources:

• "HB 90: New Law Allows Colleges to Teach in K-12 Schools."
• "Community College System of New Hampshire."