For Immediate Release
February 11, 2009
Contact: Kevin Smith
Phone: (603) 571-4710
Email: director@nhcornerstone.org
CONCORD, NH – Today, CPR-Action Representative, Ann Marie Banfield, will testify before the NH House Education Committee on House Bills 367 and 368, expressing Cornerstone’s opposition to additional state regulation of the Home Schooling community:
“We find no credible evidence that there is a significant problem in the home-school community that warrants further government involvement,” Ms. Banfield testified. “In fact, we find just the opposite to be true. There is significant data that suggests this community of educators as a whole, is doing an outstanding job of educating part of the student population. In addition to this, analysts have estimated that homeschooled students save American taxpayers and public schools between $4.4 billion and $9.9 billion annually. Other estimates are as high as $16 billion.”
“With this bill (HB367), home-schooled students would be required to take one of three standardized tests that are not required of the public school students. This requires a different set of standards for the public schooled students versus. the home-schooled students. While we recognize that the three standardized tests are considered a good measurement tool, we question why this same high standard is not expected of the public school students.”
Ms. Banfield added, “With resources scarce and public schools finding ways to cut expenses, this does not seem like a good time to impose unnecessary regulations that comes at a cost to taxpayers and further burdens public school administrators.”
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CPR-Action is the legislative advocacy arm of Cornerstone Policy Research.
Cornerstone Policy Research is a non-partisan, non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the preservation of strong families, limited government and free markets.
