Frank Edelblut Is Wrong For New Hampshire Education Commissioner by Dr. Michael Flanagan

Those of us who live outside of New Hampshire have probably never heard of Frank Edelblut, the former rival of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu during last year’s gubernatorial race. Sununu has since tapped Edelblut to be the next Commissioner of Education for New Hampshire. In the world of alternative facts, Edelblut is as good a nominee as Betsy DeVos. For the students, parents and teachers of New Hampshire, who prefer to look at actual facts, he would be a terrible choice. First off, Edelblut has no professional experience in public education.

Edelblut is a venture capitalist with degrees in Accounting and Theology. He is a major supporter of school choice and he homeschooled his seven children. He strongly supports the use of vouchers and the use of public school tax dollars to send children to private schools. The Koch brothers’ funded education reform organization Americans For Prosperity  have already voiced their approval, and their vast financial resources, to support his confirmation. After all there is $1.29 billion dollars in public school money controlled by the Commissioner of Education.

The Republicans on the Executive Council  point to Edelblut’s opposition of Common Core as justification for his selection as Commissioner of Education. The problem is that he has supported every other attack on public schools and teacher’s rights throughout his political career. It is because of his strong opposition to actual public education that he is often compared with Betsy DeVos, another wealthy vulture capitalist out to privatize taxpayer money that should be going to New Hampshire Public school children.

Teachers’ unions such as the NEA have come out strongly against Edelblut’s nomination. The AFL-CIO, in addition to being against his drive to privatize public schools and use school choice as a means to further segregate our communities, see his support of Right To Work laws as a means to further attack union rights.

To all New Hampshire public school teachers and parents who do not want to see our public schools run by a commissioner who would not even send any of his own children to public schools, and will create further inequity by using public funds to subsidize private schools, please contact the members of the Governor’s Executive Council. Stop the confirmation of Frank Edelblut as Commissioner of Education in New Hampshire, he is wrong for our children.

CONTACT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AT:

• The individual phone numbers and Email addresses of the Council members can be found in this link.  
• The Executive Council includes three Republicans and two Democrats, and it votes on Tuesday, January 31st. You can also write an online  letter directly to the council at this link.