New Hampshire

Children's Alliance of New Hampshire

The Children's Alliance of New Hampshire is a statewide advocacy organization working to give children a voice at all levels of state and local decision making. Over the past 12 years the Children's Alliance states that it has helped bring about positive change for low- and moderate-income families. Among other work Its intiatives have included the founding of a statewide child advocacy network - NHCAN - that provides and supports an annual public policy agenda for children, youth and families.

President: Ellen Shemitz
2 Greenwood Avenue
Concord, NH 03301
Phone:( 603) 225-2264
Fax: (603) 225-8264
info@childrennh.org

Claremont Coalition

Formed in 1990, the Claremont Coalition has the stated goal of improving the quality of education in New Hampshire by addressing what it calls the "fundamental unfairness" of the state education finance system. The Coalition has served as plaintiffs attorneys in New Hampshire's school funding litigation, Claremont v. Governor, in which the Coalition argued that the finance system was unconstitutional because of wide inter-district disparities in funding, taxes, and student performance. The New Hampshire courts have found repeatedly for the Coalition, ordering, most recently, in April 2002, that the state must hold school districts accountable for both resources and student performance. In response, the state adopted an accountability statute, and the Coalition is considering its options. Meanwhile, the Coalition and a number of other groups are seeking to reach out to the people of the state through the New Hampshire Citizens Voice Project, a community-engagement initiative.

Steering Committee Chair: Thomas Connair
PO Box 2159
Concord, NH 03302-2159
Phone: (603) 228-1109
Fax: (603) 228-5326
info@claremontlawsuit.org

New Hampshire Citizens Voice Project (NHCVP)

The New Hampshire Citizens Voice Project (NHCVP) comprises community and education leaders whose stated goal is to involve citizens in shaping educational policy. To that end, the Project plans to aid community groups in holding fifteen forums in geographically and economically diverse towns in the spring and fall of 2003. After the forums, the Project aims to hold a statewide conference in the late fall of 2003 to synthesize and interpret the results.

Project Director: Susan Auerbach
Phone: (603) 228-8682
info@nhcvp.org

New Hampshire Communities for Adequate Funding of Education (NHcafe)

The stated goal of NHcafe, a coalition of nineteen school district units and towns, is to promote and advocate for adequate and equitable funding for schools in New Hampshire. Their website is intended as a place where citizens, educators, local officials, and legislators can come together to share information and ideas. The webpage includes a daily blog.

New Hampshire Partners in Education

Through over twenty five years of support from the Department of Education, NHPIE states that is has provided leadership and services to New Hampshire schools in the establishment, implementation, and growth of volunteerism. The organization's mission is to help schools work together to create greater understanding of each others educational needs, and establish collaborative partnerships between communities that enhance teaching and learning.

Executive Director: Daniel N. Hebert
889 Elm Street, 3rd Floor
Manchester, NH 03101-2000
Phone: (603) 540-0620
Fax: (603) 584-0203
info@nhpie.org

New Hampshire School Administrators Association

The New Hampshire School Administrators Association is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing the best possible public education for the children of New Hampshire. Its membership includes superintendents, school business officials, special education directors, curriculum coordinators and other system administrators. Together these members state that their mission is to provide a safe learning environment which nurtures the capacity of every child to become an "enlightened citizen."

Executive Director: Mark Joyce
Summer Street School
12 Cross Street
Penacook, NH 03303
Phone: (603) 753-4479
Fax: (603) 753-4611
m_joyce@cnhec.concord.k12.nh.us