Newsletter: School funding and “Giving Back”

Be bold and brave
Manchester Proud added its voice to a call for more equitable school funding in its recent testimony to the state’s Commission to Study School Funding. The Commission, a group of six lawmakers and ten members of the public, is tasked with recommending changes to the state’s funding of public schools by the end of the year. 

Below is an excerpt from our statement. Visit our website for our full testimony.

“Throughout this remarkable coming together of our community, we have been acutely aware of New Hampshire’s history of insufficient and inequitable school funding. We realize that our hopes and dreams, as embodied by our Plan, are dependent upon reliable sources of adequate funding. 

Manchester is our state’s most urban community and arguably, our learners are most impacted by the challenges of the 21st Century. The strength of our movement clearly demonstrates our resolve to provide supports and learning opportunities for every student, but we cannot succeed without the State fulfilling its obligation to deliver needed funding. 

We implore your Commission to be bold and brave in finding an enduring resolution to the most vital issue facing New Hampshire’s communities: the funding of our public schools.”

Giving back
Our partners at the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester have welcomed Ange, a New American from Tanzania, as part of a pilot project to help Manchester residents respond to and recover from Covid-19. Ange is one of several NH COVID Community Care Corps members serving in Manchester and Nashua.

The program, first proposed by Manchester Rep. Matt Wilhem, is funded through AmericaCorps. When Ange and her family first arrived in the United States, she spoke only Swahili and Kirundi.

Today, she is a senior at the University of New Hampshire, where she is double majoring in social worker and women’s studies and minoring in international affairs. “I am here today with help from my family, friends, teachers and my community” Ange said. “I serve because I want to help others reach their goals in life.”