Republican Kelly Ayotte’s record shows strong opposition to public school funding

Former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, now a Republican candidate for governor, disputed a judge’s ruling that said the state’s public schools are underfunded. Ayotte has a history of taking controversial positions on education policy.

Ayotte served in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2017. She is running for governor against former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.

The New Hampshire state constitution mandates that every child in the state has access to an adequate education. In 2023, Superior Court Judge David Ruoff ruled in favor of plaintiffs who said the state was failing to meet that obligation. He said the state must increase its education spending from $4,100 per student to at least $7,356.01 per student.

In June, Ayotte participated in a candidate forum where she said she hoped the U.S. Supreme Court would reverse Ruoff’s decision.

“When it comes to education funding, I personally think that that Superior Court decision was wrong,”

Ayotte said. “I’m glad that the governor has appealed that to the Supreme Court.”

Ayotte’s analysis, however, may be flawed. While New Hampshire ranks in the top 10 for states with the best public schools, it ranks dead last in state funding for education. The state relies primarily on local property taxes for school funding, resulting in vast disparities between schools in wealthy areas and those in less affluent communities.

In 2013, Ayotte opposed an amendment to an appropriations bill that could have offset this dynamic by providing more federal funding to public schools in low-income areas. Despite Ayotte’s opposition, the amendment passed with bipartisan support.

Ayotte’s opposition to school funding extends to higher education as well. In 2012, she backed a congressional budget that sought to cut Pell Grant funding, putting federal financial aid out of reach for one million college students.

The budget passed the House but died in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Ayotte voted to cut Pell Grant funding again in 2015. That effort also failed.

Throughout her career, Ayotte has supported school choice policies that could also hurt public school funding. Proponents of school choice generally support public funds following a student to whichever school they attend, including private schools. This is typically achieved through vouchers that cover a portion of a private school tuition. 

Critics of school choice argue this diverts funds away from public schools and toward private institutions. If vouchers only cover a portion of a private school tuition, the system could still keep private schools out of reach for many low-income families.

In 2021, Ayotte supported a push by the New Hampshire legislature to approve a voucher initiative known as Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). These vouchers allowed families to use state funds for private schools, homeschooling, online courses, and tutoring.

EFAs quickly became a source of controversy due to a lack of specificity about what they could or could not be used for.

In June, New Hampshire Public radio reported that the private Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Richmond, New Hampshire had benefited from EFAs. The school is run by the Saint Benedict Center, a radical Catholic sect that is known for spreading anti semitic conspiracy theories and is recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Despite this record, Ayotte’s campaign website claims she will work to make New Hampshire public schools the best in the country.

A YouGov poll from October showed Ayotte leading Craig by one percentage point.