April 18: Hassan gets anti-Common Core bill

Checking in this week with the N.H. Legislature, we find that it has sent an anti-Common Core bill to Gov. Maggie Hassan.

The bill - SB 101 – prohibits the state from requiring school districts to implement Common Core educational standards.

It passed the Republican-controlled Senate in February and passed the Republican-majority House on Wednesday by a vote of 202-138.

The Common Core standards establish minimum expectations for what kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States should know in English and mathematics by the end of each grade. The New Hampshire Board of Education voluntarily adopted the standards in July 2010. Local adoption is optional.

Supporters of the bill worry that the state education department endorsement of Common Core comes perilously close to a mandate for the standards. Opponents of the bill say local adoption is not mandatory, and that the bill is unnecessary.

Gov. Hassan, a Democrat, hasn’t said directly whether she’ll sign or veto the bill, though her spokesman told the Union Leader that lawmakers should be trying to help school districts transition to the new standards and to build on New Hampshire’s status as a leader in competency-based education through innovative programs, not passing unnecessary bills.

Elsewhere …

An impressive roster of Republicans (who have announced for president, who are thinking about announcing for president, and who are thinking about thinking about announcing for president) will address the the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit this weekend.

The N.H. Republican Party is sponsor of the event that will feature 19 Republican hopefuls Friday and Saturday.  The Granite State is home to the first-in-the-nation primary.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who gave his speech early in the proceedings on Friday, was a bit too critical of fellow Republicans, at least as far his his hosts were concerned. “Please, please, save your attacks for the Democrats,” chided NHGOP Chair Jennifer Horn.

For a wrap-up of the Friday speakers, see a WMUR report here.

In other political news, we learned this week that incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte has $3 million in the bank as her 2016 re-election approaches. “I am humbled by the outpouring of support, especially from citizens across New Hampshire. It’s an honor to be their voice in the Senate, and I look forward to continuing to fight on their behalf to restore the New Hampshire values of hard work, liberty, and common sense to our nation’s capital,” Ayotte said in a statement.

The big question is who her Democratic opponent might be, and Gov. Hassan’s name keeps coming up as one of the answers, though she hasn’t said anything about it yet. See an NH1 story here.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is at the forefront of efforts in Congress to get a woman on the face of the $20 bill. Shaheen introduced legislation earlier this week to convene a panel of citizens to recommend a woman whose likeness would be featured on a new $20 bill. See an NHPR story here.

Two economic development projects were in the new this week: the Balsams Resort Hotel and Mount Sunapee.

The Balsams in Dixville Notch, famous, in part, because it’s the first place where votes are counted in our first-in-the-nation primary, is undergoing extensive renovation, which includes a proposal for a massive overhaul of its ski area. It is looking for some economic help from the state and a bill was amended this week. See a story about the latest developments in a Concord Monitor story here.

Mount Sunapee wants to expand the ski area into an area of state-controlled  forest with trees more than 150 years ago. The state has given its approval, but with some conditions. See an NHPR story here.

Topics trending on our Facebook page this week include the question of a woman on the $20 bill, the future of the Pumpkin Festival in New Hampshire, and how the state should address its heroin epidemic.

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