Official in charge of NH school voucher program attends Trump ceremony dismantling US Department of Education

NH Republicans delight over Trump order shuttering top education agency while Dems sound the alarm

Kate Baker Demers, the executive director of the organization which operates New Hampshire’s school voucher program, was spotted personally attending President Trump’s signing ceremony for his executive order aimed at dismantling the US Department of Education last week.

New Hampshire’s school voucher program — known locally as Education Freedom Accounts — has been in place since 2021, and has been criticized for funneling taxpayer money into private, oftentimes religious schools. The program itself has been criticized by state policymakers and education experts as a tool to dismantle public education in New Hampshire

“The State of New Hampshire, our local communities, and NH parents and teachers can make much better decisions about our children’s education than DC ever could,” said Demers, who runs the New York-based nonprofit the Children’s Scholarship Fund while confirming her attendance at the ceremony in a statement when reached via email.

State lawmakers are on the verge of dramatically expanding the program, with both the State House and Senate moving forward with bills allowing universal eligibility for the program, which is currently capped at 350 percent of the federal poverty level, or $109,200 for a family of four.

Demers  joins other New Hampshire Republicans ecstatic over President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling the US Department of Education, a move that teachers, civil rights groups, and Democrats in the state say is a direct attack on the institution of public education and an existential threat to the state’s students, educators, and families.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s education commissioner, Frank Edelblut, told  WMUR last week that he saw the elimination of the Department of Education as an “opportunity” and “not something that people should be upset about.”

Republican State Senator for Manchester Victoria Sullivan called the Department of Education a “governmental albatross” in a post on social media and said its elimination would be a “good thing for American students.”

Seemingly every supporter of public education in the state disagreed.

Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, the state’s largest teachers union, called the executive order “extreme” and warned of devastating disruptions to special education services, civil rights protections, and access to higher education, including the Pell Grant program that currently assists 58,917 students in New Hampshire.

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Tuttle vowed that educators would fight alongside parents and allies to ensure every student receives quality education from qualified professionals, reinforcing their commitment to defending public education against any political threats.

“President Trump’s extreme actions jeopardize the ability of Granite State students to build bright futures. If it becomes a reality, Trump’s move will take resources away from our most vulnerable schools and students, eliminate services for students with disabilities, put higher education out of reach for middle class families, and decimate civil rights protections for our students.”

In response to Trump’s order, a coalition of advocacy organizations representing millions of educators, civil rights advocates, students, and families filed a lawsuit to block the administration’s efforts to abolish the Education Department. The plaintiffs, including the NAACP and the National Education Association, argue that the executive order exceeds the administration’s constitutional authority and violates federal law, jeopardizing critical education funding and services nationwide.

Many legal experts have pointed out that eliminating the Department of Education requires congress, meaning trump’s order is likely illegal. Several lawsuits to that effect have already been filed.

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) described the executive order as a “dangerous and shameful attempt” that would exacerbate educational disparities across the nation and emphasized that federal resources from the Department of Education were essential in supporting programs for students across all income levels and learning abilities.

She also stressed the global implications of this action, adding, “If we’re going to compete with China and maintain our global leadership, the Trump administration better get serious about ensuring we have the educated workforce to do it.” 

Senator Shaheen also called for bipartisan cooperation to improve government efficiency without compromising children’s futures.

“Education is the single most important place we can invest to strengthen our nation’s innovation and future workforce,” Shaheen said.

Senator Maggie Hassan, meanwhile, said American students and taxpayers would be worse off for this decision.

“The challenges that these children and their families face won’t go away because President Trump and Elon Musk turn their backs on them. Instead, the decision to shutter the Department of Education will leave some children in our country without the education that they deserve and shift costs to local communities, raising property taxes.”

The New Hampshire Democratic Party (NHDP) said in a statement that approximately 187,000 school-aged children in the state, about 86% of whom attend public schools, could be adversely affected as a result of the department’s potential elimination.

NHDP Chairman Ray Buckley sharply criticized Trump’s actions, saying in a statement, “Gutting the Department of Education does nothing to lower costs or help Americans get ahead—in fact, it does the complete opposite by ripping away access to financial resources for low-income kids, students with disabilities, and middle-class families.” 

Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander fiercely criticized the executive order as “deeply dangerous” and a “lawless attack” on public education. Goodlander said she has heard from hundreds of concerned educators, students, and families alarmed by the potential fallout from losing vital federal resources.

Goodlander demanded Education Secretary Linda McMahon provide “immediate, complete, and accurate information” about how New Hampshire’s 13,900 public school teachers and over 100K+ students would be affected by the potential loss of $321.2 million in federal funding. Goodlander highlighted the critical programs potentially at risk, including $51.2 million from Title I to support schools with low-income students, and $61.7 million from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for special education services.

“Education is the lifeblood and ultimate safeguard of American democracy,” she said. “The