Wheels to Work program remains in limbo in New Hampshire

Since 2017, initiative that provides used cars to low-income families has failed to win state support for funding

By Mark Quirk-Granite State News Collaborative

On Feb. 1, early in the 2024 legislative session, the N.H. House of Representatives rejected House Bill 1520 by a slim 193-184 vote. The bill was aimed at reviving the state’s long-dormant Wheels to Work initiative.

The program had been sustained for 15 years with both state and federal support by the Good News Garage — part of the regional Ascentria Care Alliance nonprofit. It repairs donated cars and gives them to low-income individuals and families “striving for self-sufficiency,” according to its website. But while the program is alive and well in Massachusetts and Vermont, it has been stalled in New Hampshire since 2017.

Rep. Joe Schapiro, D-Keene, the bill's primary sponsor, emphasized that he’s pursuing pilot projects to assist marginalized communities. Transportation challenges are a persistent problem, so Schapiro embarked on the initiative to bridge those gaps.

Shapiro’s bill sought $220,000 from the state, to be matched by federal money, to create a family assistance car ownership pilot program within the state Department of Health and Human Services. The objective was to provide 20 vehicles to adult recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families — TANF for short.

Schapiro argued the program would save the state money by helping people move off state benefits and remain gainfully employed. He said the recipients would be screened and complete the New Hampshire Employment Program to develop financial literacy, employment readiness, and knowledge about automobiles. 

The New Hampshire Employment Program, overseen by Health and Human Services, provides financial assistance, employment opportunities and job training to low-income families.

But not everyone agreed with Schapiro’s reasoning. Rep. Leah Cushman, R-Weare, who opposed the bill, said she believed the estimated value of $20,000 for each vehicle was high, and even if the recipient were to get off state benefits, it couldn’t be established that the savings would offset the amount the state invested. 

Cushman also said she was concerned about how recipients would pay for repairs to the vehicle and about how the program would prevent fraud.

Cushman’s argument apparently won the day, and the bill was moved as inexpedient to legislate, essentially killing it for the session.

“We are disappointed, of course,” said Tom Kupfer, marketing manager for Good News Garage. “We hear from residents in New Hampshire every day. We would love to be able to give out cars in New Hampshire again.”

Good News Garage accepts donated vehicles from all six New England states and eastern New York. The organization performs any needed repairs to the vehicles and awards them to people striving for self-sufficiency. It also operates in Massachusetts and Vermont, where the nonprofit began in 1996.

According to a 2017 report by the Health and Human Services Bureau of Improvement and Integrity Financial Compliance Unit, the program was saving the state about $155,110 a year.

At that point, Good News Garage was awarding about 100 cars a year and the report cited a savings of $1,551 per recipient per year. It also showed recipients were less likely to go back on state benefits once they received a vehicle. At the time, the used vehicles were valued at $5,000 each.

Kupfer said the report “verified exactly what our hope was with this program. It confirmed all these things.”

Mercedeze Moore of Newport, Vt., a mother of three, received a used SUV in 2021 — the recipient of Good News Garage’s 5,500th car. At the time, she said the car “is going to open up so many more opportunities for my family.” She said she previously had to walk her children well over a mile to get to child care and then walk another half-mile to her job. (Good News Garage screenshot)

Executive Council opposition

But at about the same time, Executive Councilor David Wheeler pointed out that Good News Garage had been operating without a used car dealer’s license for 10 years, something Good News Garage leadership said it was unaware it needed.

Wheeler had opposed spending $2 million in federal funds on the program — an appropriation he described as “the most wasteful contract I’ve ever seen,” according to a Union Leader article published in 2016.

As a result of that opposition, Good News Garage ceased operations in New Hampshire in the summer of 2016, and said it would be “actively pursuing” a dealer’s license.

Then-Gov. Maggie Hassan voiced her support for the program at the time. She said having a vehicle helped people get off welfare and keep a job, which she said saved the state about $18,000 a year per family. 

The state stopped funding the program in 2017. This session’s HB 1520 was the first time money has been requested since.

Since then, visitors to Good News Garage’s New Hampshire website have been greeted with the message: “Our New Hampshire Wheels to Work program is inactive at this time while we wait for the state to renew its contract for program funding. State support is the only way we’re able to feasibly award cars to NH residents. While we still graciously accept vehicle donations from NH residents, we are only able to award cars to neighboring residents in MA and VT at this time. We hope to be able to help Granite State residents again someday soon!”

Both Kupfer and Schapiro say there has been talk about the state starting a program run through New Hampshire auto dealers, but nothing ever came to fruition.

Karen Hebert, director of the Division of Economic Stability at Health and Human Services, pointed to the department's mission to foster self-reliance and independence — a goal exemplified by the Wheels to Work initiative. 

"It was an innovative idea to help people gain self-sufficiency,” she said of Wheels to Work, highlighting the program's goal to empower individuals. 

Despite the setback in February, Hebert noted recent efforts by the Statewide Coordinating Council for Community Transportation and the various regional coordinating councils across the state to launch keepnhmoving.com. 

That website offers a range of resources and has the goal of allowing Granite Staters to easily locate transportation options tailored to their needs, filtering options by community, region and transportation type.

Meanwhile, the people at Good News Garage — which does now have a used car dealer’s license that’s good until March 2026  — and Ascentria hope a lawmaker will take up the mantle and request funding for Wheels to Work in the 2025 legislative session.

Given the approaching budget year, Gilberto Calderin, director of advocacy for Ascentria, said he thinks there’s a good chance of that happening.

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.

Public comments on minimum ed standards revision are overwhelmingly in opposition

Only one of over 200 responses to Department of Education proposal favors changes

By Rhianwen Watkins, Granite State News Collaborative

The N.H. Department of Education’s proposed update of minimum standards for public education is drawing significant backlash from the public, at least according to the overwhelming opposition contained in over 200 written comments sent to the department.

The public comment period on the proposed changes to the minimum standards – known as the 306 rules – came to a close April 30. A total of 204 written testimonies were sent to the state Board of Education and made public on the department’s website. All except one of the 204 written accounts were in opposition to the current revisions.

The department’s proposed revisions of the minimum standards, which are updated every 10 years, have received intense opposition from educators and other stakeholders since they were released Feb. 15. The overwhelming majority of speakers voiced their opposition at the board’s two public hearings in April. 

In addition, attorneys in the Office of Legislative Services, an arm of the N.H. Legislature, voiced several concerns about the proposal – including its constitutionality – in a draft reviewing the proposal for legal compliance.

The main points of concern in the public comments sent to the board included potential removal of state public education funding, eliminating caps on classroom sizes, shifts in wording from “shall provide” to “may include” – which educators assert makes certain program elements optional – and the overall impact on student achievement going forward.

"While neighboring states move ahead with forward-thinking proposals and programs, the NH Department of Education seems determined to drag us backward and squash our kids' chances of reaching their potential," wrote Richard Popovic of Nelson. 

Sara Lewis, a music teacher at Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett and interim principal at Pine Tree Elementary School in Conway, had similar sentiments.

“Our neighbors in Vermont are doing just the opposite,” she wrote. “Increasing funding to put MORE money toward students who have been historically marginalized and discriminated against.”

MaryEllen Reinself of Enfield echoed concerns over New Hampshire’s educational standing.

“When compared with other states, New Hampshire has a very strong national ranking for the quality of its public education. These proposed revisions to the 306 Rules threaten to eviscerate public education in New Hampshire,” she wrote.

Catrina Annis of Berlin raised concerns over the future of her children’s education in a district with lower funding.

"As a parent of two children in the Berlin Public Schools in the county of COOS how dare you attempt to reduce the standards in place for our children."

Asked why she felt motivated to provide testimony, Annis replied to the Granite State News Collaborative in an email:,  “Our taxes are high yet our schools are in disrepair and our students and staff have to make do with lower quality materials and supplements … not only are we significantly poorer, we are receiving less help from the state then they are obligated to provide.”    

Despite Kent Hackmann’s granddaughter being in her last year of public school, he also expressed concern over the future of New Hampshire’s education.

"I am 86, a vet … and the grandfather of a student completing her senior year in high school. I am a firm believer in the role of public school education," he said.

Greg Eaton of Winchester communicated his worry over potential impact on taxpayers.

“This is a horrible idea as a way for the State to save money. Education is not the place to make those changes and cuts,” he wrote. “The direct potential effect on us as parents in a small NH Town is frightening.”

Another motivator to publicly comment was due to the removal of “acknowledgement of “diversity” from the standards and instead replacing it with “respect for differences.”

Jacob Bennett of Chester took particular issue with this.

“Deleting ‘diversity’ from existing language in Ed 306.06 cannot be understood as a mere editorial decision but a fundamental shift away from requiring affirmative policy and toward allowing passive ‘respect for differences,’” he wrote.

Some commenters specifically called out Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut and state Board of Education Chairman Drew Cline.

“This is a blatant misuse of power and a reminder that Commissioner Edelblut is trying to dismantle New Hampshire’s public schools. The fox guarding the henhouse, indeed,” wrote Mel Hinebach of Concord.

"I am outraged by the deceit, the outright lies, and most of all, the anti-democratic agenda so obviously promoted in the 306 revisions. Cline has a mission to impose his own conservative philosophy onto New Hampshire's educational system, thereby harming public schools in his fervor to transfer badly needed public money to private, often religious schools and homeschooling,” said Kris Flather of Hanover.

"These revisions threaten to hurt our students by redefining and watering down what is considered an essential, required, and adequate education in New Hampshire,” wrote Sean Parr, a member of the Manchester Board of School Committee and chair of its Education Legislation Committee

When asked later why he felt compelled to include his voice in the conversation, he replied, “The Ed. 306’s are something that we as a board have been pretty unanimous about the whole time and I thought it was important to go on the public record, expressing that.”

He also emphasized the disconnect between two state bodies, the Department of Education and the Office of Legislative services.

The commissioner and board have repeatedly emphasized their belief that the document is in the best interest of students, but educators, parents and taxpayers continue to fear the impacts of the revisions if passed.

"This weakening of our public schools seems to me to be part of a national campaign by extremists to dismantle one of the cornerstones of our democracy," said Charles Rhoades of Dover.

Liz Tentarelli of Kearsarge left the Board with an important message and plea.

“You have the opportunity to turn down these suggestions,” she said. “If a diploma from a NH high school is to stand for anything, you need to discard these vague 306 standards and start anew, with expert and professional input from those who will use them to teach. Remember where your responsibility lies: with the schools and the students, not with Mr. Edelblut.”

The only person to write in favor of the proposal was Luke Felthun of Bedford. He said he felt that keeping the wording change of “may” from “shall” when referencing program elements was a good decision. 

“This may not be an ideal approach but is nevertheless an improvement as many of the requirements increased student and teacher workload without adding meaningfully to learning,” he said.

In addition to the individual public testimony, Christine Downing, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the Cornish, Grantham and Plainfield school districts, submitted testimony from her own educator review sessions, in which she and educators across the state came together on multiple occasions to analyze the dept’s proposed revisions. 

Within the 13-page testimony, Downing outlined important educator recommendations for the board to consider.

Educators who attended Downing’s sessions found that not all minimum standards had actually expired. The standards must be updated every 10 years, but from time to time certain sections are individually updated within those 10 years, leading to varying expiration dates. Downing’s team recommended putting the most focus towards the standards that are about to expire and creating more time to come to agreements on the ones whose dates are not as pressing.

The Department of Education issued a statement responding to the heated criticism in the public comments that were submitted:

"The New Hampshire Department of Education appreciates and welcomes the public feedback that has been received. It is clear that, given the substantial public interest, there are strong feelings and significant input regarding the vast importance of updating the Ed 306 Minimum Standards Rules. This is understandable and not unexpected given the significant impact of the rules, which is evident based on the 30-year history of previous attempts by the New Hampshire State Board of Education to update and revise minimum education standards for public schools - most notably similar issues that were raised in 1992 that captured nationwide attention.”

The department provided two links to New York Times articles from August and November 1992 regarding previous education standards revisions in New Hampshire that caused considerable public concern. At the time, the state school board at first voted to eliminate virtually all minimum state education standards and allow districts to set their own. The state board eventually backtracked on the plan in the race of immense opposition.

“We are pleased that this has been a robust process with active participation from the public, and we are excited for the State Board to move forward with its responsibility of rulemaking. The State Board is in the process of reviewing public input and will take all comments into consideration during its revisions to the rules," the department’s statement concluded.

On June 11 at 10 a.m., Commissioner Edelblut will be present for a public meeting of  the Legislative Oversight Committee for the Education Improvement and Assessment Program to further discuss the revisions. The meeting will take place at the Legislative Office Building in Concord, in room 205-207.

The meeting will also be livestreamed for people who cannot attend in person. 

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.

N.H. schools go beyond academics in crafting a ‘portrait of a graduate’

With community input, districts emphasize ‘equally important’ real-world skills to prepare students for their futures

By Kelly Burch, Granite State News Collaborative

Earlier this year at Franklin High School, a group of cheerleaders got together to present their physics project. But there was no PowerPoint or test papers. Instead, the girls used cheerleading and stunting to demonstrate principles of the science. 

A poster that accompanied a presentation by cheerleaders at Franklin High School, demonstrating a real-world application of physics principles. (Courtesy of Franklin High School)

Jule Finley, curriculum coordinator for the Franklin School District, said she was blown away by the confidence the students showed and the depth of their knowledge as they responded to questions from the teacher. 

“It wasn’t just memorized to plop some answers on a test and forget it two days later,” Finley said. “They know that information, and they will not forget it because they’ve connected it to something they are passionate about.”

The physics presentation is just one example of a project-based, real-world approach to learning that Franklin is trying to foster, Finley said. 

This year, the high school was able to be more creative and flexible with its curriculum because the district adopted a “portrait of a graduate,” a document that outlines the life skills that the community wants graduates to have, including attributes such as resourcefulness, wellness and responsibility — all of which were on display during the physics presentation, Finley said. 

With the freedom to work toward those goals, teachers are thinking outside the box about how they deliver their lessons and assess students’ learning, she said, and students are more engaged than ever. 

Portraits of a graduate, also called portraits of a learner, are relatively new in the Granite State but have been used around the country to define what communities want from their school systems. The portraits serve as a vision statement for school districts and are an important part of competency-based education — an approach that emphasizes real-world applications of academic skills.

The Miford School District is among at least eight around the state that have crafted their own ‘portraits of a graduate.’ (Milford School District)

The idea is catching on in New Hampshire, with at least eight districts around the state — including Conway, Hampton, Milford, Nashua and Newport — crafting their own portraits of a graduate, many with help from the New Hampshire Learning Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to competency-based education. 

These documents provide guidance for school districts to equip students with particular skills and evaluate their progress in obtaining them, educators say. 

“The portrait of a graduate really is a great North Star … because everyone can answer, ‘What do you want our graduates to know and be able to do?’” said Laurie Gagnon, program director of the CompetencyWorks initiative at The Aurora Institute, a national nonprofit focused on competency-based learning. 

Interest in portraits emerged in New Hampshire about three years ago, amid concerns that students didn’t have the life skills they needed to function as adults, even if they met the academic requirements for graduation, said Carolyn Eastman, director of personalized learning at the New Hampshire Learning Initiative. She has worked with six school districts on their portraits of a graduate.

Parents, teachers and employers recognized that, beyond academics, “there are a set of skills that are equally important to success after high school,” Eastman said. Portraits of a graduate allow communities to list those skills and assess them, aiming to increase students’ likelihood of success. 

“We want to make sure [students are] prepared and ready for whatever future they’re going into” after graduation, said Nate Burns, principal at Nashua North High School, who is helping lead his district’s development of a portrait of a graduate. 

What skills should graduates have?

Creating the portrait often starts with a basic question: What should graduates be able to do by the time they walk across the stage to accept their diplomas?

When communities ask that question — as Franklin did through community forums, meetings with local businesses, and even polls of residents at the town dump — common answers often arise, Gagnon said. Life skills come up, such as financial literacy, cooking and the ability to tap into community resources, but so do so-called dispositions, such as being resourceful, community-oriented, collaborative or resilient. 

Franklin’s portrait of a graduate touches on six characteristics: a commitment to community; learning; resourcefulness; responsibility; wellness; and humanity, which the document defines as “recogniz[ing] the impacts others have on me and my impact on others.”

The Henniker School District has crafted a portrait with three tenets: envisioning a graduate who is a “respectful collaborator, effective communicator, and knowledgeable problem solver and creator.”

All of this may sound abstract, but when they work well, portraits allow school districts to structure their educational approach to facilitate these skills, Gagnon said. 

“It’s important it doesn’t just stay as a poster on a wall,” she said. “You’ve got to say, ‘What are we doing to help our learners become what we’re envisioning for them?’ That can drive lots of changes in the system.”

That’s what’s happened in Franklin, according to Franklin High Principal David Levesque. 

“This year, we’re embedding it into everything we do,” he said. 

 The Franklin School District crafted its ‘portrait of a graduate’ after a series of community forums, meetings with local businesses, and even polls taken at the town dump. (Franklin School District)

The result has been more interdisciplinary learning, such as field trips into the community and an increase in extended learning opportunities — internship-like programs that allow students to explore different career paths. 

One government class attended city council meetings and formed a mock council to better understand how local government works. In another class, students prepared a YouTube video to teach others about mindfulness, building their communication skills, their understanding of wellness and their grasp of technology. In a class that paired physics with sports, the cheerleaders were just one example of hands-on presentations.

“That’s the direction we’re trying to get to, where we’re not just using a paper or a trifold” poster to assess learning, Levesque said. 

In response, he said, the school has seen improvements in students' attendance and engagement. “The portrait of a graduate thing has saved us this year,” he said. 

An approach for the entire school system

In Nashua, the team working on the document has opted to call it a portrait of a learner, rather than a graduate, because if the ideas aren’t implemented until high school, “it’s kind of too late,” Burns said. 

Instead, he wants the Nashua portrait to be used from preschool all the way until graduation. Eventually, the document will provide not only guidance, but a framework for assessing students and measuring their growth in non-academic skills in much the same way their academic progress is monitored. 

“Prior to this … we didn’t have a way to report out on it, and we definitely weren’t speaking the same language” about non-academic skills, Burns said. 

Nashua’s document is still being drafted, but Burns says it emphasizes critical thinking, grit and relationship-building. 

Nashua is “not spending a ton” on the process, but creating a portrait of a graduate can be expensive. Franklin has spent $650,000 on the effort since 2019, which includes site visits to other schools around the country and students' experiences in the community. The funding was provided through grants from the Barr Foundation, a Boston-based nonprofit focused on education reform, among other initiatives. The same foundation provides grant funding that the New Hampshire Learning Initiative uses to support districts in creating their portraits. 

Other states have a statewide portrait of a learner. The New Hampshire Learning Initiative has crafted a portrait of a New Hampshire learner that includes five skills: critical thinking and problem-solving; communication; collaboration; adaptability; and learner’s mindset. However, the portrait isn’t part of state graduation requirements or the state’s minimum standards for public school approval, known as the 306s. 

Because of New Hampshire’s emphasis on local control, “the majority of the work is happening at the local level,” said Eastman. “While we have a statewide portrait, we know that local supersedes states.”

With that in mind, Eastman expects to see more communities creating a portrait of a learner. 

“Life skills have become very important to the kids, the parents and to the community,” she said. 

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.