Revision: May 7, 2026, 12:19 p.m.
SB 491-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
02/05/2026 0379s
7May2026... 1707h
2026 SESSION
26-2056
07/08
SENATE BILL 491-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. McGough, Dist 11; Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Long, Dist 20; Sen. McConkey, Dist 3; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17
COMMITTEE: Education Finance
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill enables students to utilize education freedom account funds to pay for certain career and technical education funding and removes references to "curriculum frameworks" as they relate to the substantive educational content of an adequate education.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02/05/2026 0379s
7May2026... 1707h 26-2056
07/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Education; Regional Career and Technical Education (CTE); Costs for Students Attending Career and Technical Education Programs. Amend RSA 188-E:6, IV to read as follows:
IV. [In consultation with the house and senate committees responsible for education policy and financial matters, the state board] The department of education shall, in rules adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A, develop a formula for determining separately the tuition and transportation costs for approved career technical education programs and procedures for disbursement of funds.
2 New Paragraph; Education; Regional Career and Technical Education (CTE); Payment of Tuition and Transportation Funds. Amend RSA 188-E:9 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:
V. The department of education shall establish separate funds for tuition and transportation and determine the cost for each on an annual basis in accordance with the provisions of RSA 188:E-6, IV and 188-E:9, II-III.
3 New Paragraph; Education; Education Freedom Accounts; Authority and Responsibilities of the Scholarship Organization. Amend RSA 194-F:4 by inserting after paragraph XVII the following new paragraph:
XVIII. The scholarship organization, in cooperation with the department of education, shall make available to EFA students in grades 9-12 information about enrolling in career and technical education classes and programs.
4 Adequate Public Education; Substantive Educational Content of an Adequate Education. Amend RSA 193-E:2-a, V and VI to read as follows:
V.(a) The general court requires every 10 years the state board of education and the department of education to institute procedures for maintaining, updating, improving, and refining the minimum standards for public school approval and the [curriculum frameworks] academic standards for each area of education identified in paragraph I. Each school district shall be responsible for maintaining, updating, improving, and refining curriculum. The curriculum shall present educational goals, broad pedagogical approaches, and strategies for assisting students in the development of the skills, competencies, and knowledge called for by the minimum standards for public school approval and academic standards for each area of education identified in paragraph I. [The curriculum frameworks shall serve as a guide and reference to what New Hampshire students should know and be able to do in each area of education identified in paragraph I. Curriculum frameworks do not establish a statewide curriculum.] It is the responsibility of local teachers, administrators, and school boards to identify and implement approaches best suited for the students in their communities to acquire the skills and knowledge included in the curriculum, to determine the scope, organization, and sequence of course offerings, and to choose the methods of instruction, the activities, and the materials to be used.
(b) The state board of education shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the approval of alternative programs for granting credit leading to graduation.
VI. In this section:
(a) "Minimum standards for public school approval" mean the applicable criteria that public schools and public academies shall meet in order to be an approved school, as adopted by the state board of education through administrative rules.
(b) "Academic standards" means what a student should know and be able to do in a course, program, or at each grade level.
(c) "Curriculum" means the lessons and academic content taught in school or in a specific course or program.
[(d) "Curriculum framework" means an organized plan of study that serves as a guide and reference to what New Hampshire students should know and be able to do in a learning area and identifies the academic standards aligned with each learning area pursuant to RSA 193-E:2-a, I(a).]
[(e)] (d) "Applied learning" means an educational approach whereby students have the opportunity to directly engage in learning activities using knowledge and skills.
[(f)] (e) "Logic" means a reasoning skill that better enables a student to analyze problems in learning areas such as mathematics and to develop problem solutions; to better understand the principle of cause and effect; and to develop critical thinking skills to better identify fact from unverified information or data.
[(g)] (f) "Rhetoric" means the skill of speaking and writing as a means of communication or persuasion.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2027.
26-2056
04/06/2026
SB 491-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2026-0379s)
FISCAL IMPACT:
This bill requires the Department of Education to establish formulas and separate funds for career and technical education (CTE) tuition and transportation costs, and to determine those costs annually. This would be accomplished presumably through administrative rulemaking. This bill also requires that Education Freedom Account (EFA) students in grades 9 through 12 be provided information about enrolling in CTE programs.
This bill is not expected to have a fiscal impact.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education