Innovation, Commitment, and Cost:  A Plan for a 21st-Century Education

Having taught at the University of New Hampshire for 39 years and having worked closely with our university and community college systems and our Career and Technical Education Centers, Senator Watters believes public education produces economic success while strengthening our democracy and civic life. We must provide adequate funding for public education, including home schooling. We need to keep our schools safe from gun violence, support red flag legislation, and close background check loopholes.

Guided by a comprehensive vision for a 21st century education, pre-school to university,  Senator Watters has worked for the past decade on legislation to expand opportunities and to transform educational practices, structures, and administration.  A commitment to the core value of public schooling is forged in partnership by taxpayers, families with schoolchildren, and educators. With innovation and commitment, costs can be contained and investments made. 

As an “education senator,” Senator Watters fought to secure increased adequacy aid for District 4 schools, secured $13.5 million for Dover’s Career and Technical Education Center, and established commissions to examine innovative private/public partnerships for CTE education and to explore best practices in child sexual abuse prevention education.  He worked to save families thousands of dollars and reduce student debt by reversing the destructive cuts to higher education in return for a freeze in tuition. He has forged bipartisan agreements on core educational values: shared knowledge, critical thinking, free inquiry, civility, and equal opportunity.

Education starts with early childhood, essential for healthy child development and later educational success, but also necessary for working parents. Senator Watters’ legislation strengthened Family Resource Centers and supported the expansion of programs at CTEs, community colleges, and the university system to train the next generation of childcare professionals.

Senator Watters’ bill at long last provided full state funding for all-day kindergarten for every New Hampshire child. His legislation established a commission to determine best practices in Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education, and then established the requirement for this education. 

Our commitment to public schools starts with a recognition of the professional quality of our teachers.  We expect excellence, a challenging and innovative curriculum every day for every student, and demonstrable outcomes.  This means local control to implement state standards on common-sense content, competency-based pedagogy and experiential education, online innovation, and appropriate testing, not teaching to a test. Education is locally controlled, but the State has an important role to play in these proposals.

Therefore, Senator Watters supported competency-based education and flexibility in implementation of State standards and testing so parents, teachers, administrators, and school boards can achieve the best results for students. His legislation promoted safer sports by implementing medically based return to play and return to education protocols after concussions. 

Senator Watters’ legislation established the Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education, which has strengthened CTE centers across the state.  His legislation has expanded inclusion in CTE programs to sophomores, provided increased funding for running start and dual and concurrent enrollment programs with the community colleges, colleges, and universities, and ensured students can earn academic core credits in CTE courses. 

To prepare students for the environmental challenges of the future, and to train students for the $600 million dollar outdoor recreation industry in the state, his bills established environmental and outdoor education as requirements for an adequate public education, promoted the new office of outdoor recreation in the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and established new career paths in outdoor recreation in CTEs.

A Twenty-First Century education requires a strong university system to provide an innovative workforce, cutting edge research, and a commitment to civic life and democracy. Senator Watters has fought to include funding for the community college and university system, and, as member of the Capital Budget Committee, to fund the modern facilities needed on their campuses. New Hampshire student debt, the highest in the nation, is a serious burden on graduates and their families, and it is often a disincentive for graduates to stay in New Hampshire or enter fields such as teaching. Senator Watters has supported budgets that provide funding sufficient to enable USNH to freeze tuition increases. He has supported programs for employers to pay down student debt as hiring and retention incentives.

 Senator Watters’ legislation established New Hampshire History Week to promote learning about New Hampshire history.