What happens when “school choice” collides with disability rights, school funding, and supporting students with disabilities? Whose choice is it, actually?

Liz talks with ABLE New Hampshire Executive Director Dr. Louis Esposito about special (supportive!) education, EFAs, open enrollment...which is perfectly timed after last week's committee of conference change-up.

And to find out what the heck a "committee of conference" is, check out the new NH Has Issues Substack! ...the Substack won't only be about committees of conference, Liz promises.

Become a monthly supporter of the podcast at Patreon!

Links:

• ABLE New Hampshire
• 2026 Disability Pride Parade and Festival at the NH State House, July 18th
• Bill Watch: HB 751 (Reaching Higher NH)
• School Funding Fairness: A Look at Education Funding Inequity in New Hampshire (New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity)
• School Funding and Special Education: It Continues to Get Worse (NH School Funding Fairness Project)
• As New Hampshire education freedom accounts double, percentage of low-income recipients drops (NH Bulletin)
• How Special Education Funding is Supported in the State Budget (New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute)
• Annual Beginning of School Year Education Freedom Account Enrollment and Enrollment Change: 2022 to 2026 (NH Department of Education, Division of Analytics and Resources)
• Special Education Data (NH Department of Education)
• Republican lawmakers agree on school open enrollment bill, but governor has concerns (WMUR)
• The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Previous episodes referenced: 

• The ABCs of EFAs (School Vouchers) with Christina Pretorius
• Disability Rights with Patricia Vincent-Piet
• Making School Funding Fair (and why it's not yet) with Zack Sheehan

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

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Liz hears from Jack, a local youth activist (spoiler alert: he's in elementary school!), about changes he wants to see in this world (and his cafeteria) and how you can help. He also has some advice for other kids who might see a problem they want to fix...

Liz then talks with his mom, Katie, who recently testified at the New Hampshire State House for the first time. She also shares some #BoyMom advice to Liz.

Want to send Jack a message? [email protected]

Links:

• Check out Jack's fun fact videos on Katie's Instagram!
• Donate to Jack's fundraiser (@KatieHAdams on Venmo)!
• National Marine Mammal Foundation
• Public Gives Feedback on Bill to Limit School Curriculum (InDepth NH)

NEW: NH Has Issues Merch! (teepublic...but not just t-shirts!)

Become a monthly supporter of the show (Patreon.com/NHHasIssues)

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

What does a planning board actually do...and why does it matter for whether people can afford to live in a community?

Liz talks with Kara and Ryann about how local decisions shape the housing crisis in New Hampshire, from zoning rules to who shows up (and who doesn’t) at public meetings. Topics include workforce housing, common misconceptions, and the real people being priced out of the communities they serve.

If you’ve ever wondered why your local barista - or childcare worker - can’t afford to live nearby… well, this episode is for you.

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Have an idea for an episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

NEW: NH Has Issues Merch!

Links:

• Home for All
• Seacoast Affordable Housing Week (May 11 - 16)
• Previous episode of NH Has Issues with Nick Taylor
• High Prices and Low Supply Continue to Impact Housing Affordability in New Hampshire (NHFPI)

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

Strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we identify at least three of them to run for office. 

If you've ever thought about running for office...or, perhaps more likely, if you've ever assumed you're not qualified, this episode is for you. 

Okay, to be honest, if you know a woman, this episode is for you.

P.S. Happy 1-year anniversary to this little podcast! Half a biennium! Celebrate by becoming a monthly supporter on Patreon

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

Links:

• Women Run! (New Hampshire Women's Foundation training session)
  • Upcoming training dates include: Thursday 5/21, Wednesday 5/27, and Thursday 6/4 -- all virtual!
• New Hampshire Women's Foundation
• Gender Matters
• Keys to Elected Office: The Essential Guide for Women (Barbara Lee Family Foundation)
• Why I’m Focusing on Getting More Women In Public Office (Melinda French Gates, Time)
• Running For Office (NH Secretary of State)

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

A fan favorite, Phil Sletten (Research Director at New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute), is back! Liz and Phil talk about what even are property taxes? Who actually pays them? Why is New Hampshire so dang reliant on them? And is there ANYONE who can do ANYTHING about them? Spoiler alert: yep. 

But first! A flashback to the Interest and Dividends Tax discussion from last summer's episode. Because context.

Become a monthly supporter of the show (especially if you have $13 million sitting around)

Links:

• Property Taxes in New Hampshire: How They Work and How They Compare (NHFPI report)
• Could NH eliminate the property tax? Some lawmakers want businesses to foot the state’s bills. (Concord Monitor)
• New Hampshire lost a fortune with a tax repeal, but I bet the wealthy spent it on lots of cool stuff (NH Bulletin)
• The Impact of State Downshifting on Local Property Tax Burdens in New Hampshire (2015–2025) (New Hampshire Municipal Association)
• October Revenues Set Back by Interest and Dividends Tax Repeal (NHFPI)
• NH DHHS slashes programs to meet $51M budget reduction mandate (NHPR)
• Concord School District grapples with $17 million budget shortfall (Concord Monitor)
• Results: Claremont voters reject school budget cap (Valley News)
• Hold on to your wallets, new property tax rates are in (Keene Sentinel)
• Some Rochester residents see dramatic rise in property tax bills (WMUR)
• Households with High Incomes Disproportionately Benefit from Interest and Dividends Tax Repeal (NHFPI)

Have an idea for an episode? Email Liz

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

Hop in a canoe and join Liz and Adrienne Lennon as they talk about what is and is not ... water, actually. 

We always talk about New Hampshire's issues, but as a special treat, this episode features how one of New Hampshire's issues paved the way for federal law: the Clean Water Act. What is the Clean Water Act? What was supposed to happen with pollutants by the mid 1980s? Did we do it? 

Is anyone coming to save us? Turns out, not even Batman...

Previous episode referenced: Towns, Property Taxes, and a Street Sweeper (maybe) with Niko Papakonstantis

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Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

Links:

• Summary of the Clean Water Act (EPA)
• Water Quality Standards Regulations: New Hampshire (EPA)
• Environmental Challenges for the Merrimack River (EPA)
• NHDES PFAS Response Website
• NHPR Presents: Safe to Drink
• Legislation to protect parts of Nashua River (Nashua Telegraph)

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

This episode might not be what you expect: yes, Liz talks with Christina and Pat from AARP New Hampshire about seniors, but the issues they face (housing! broadband! transportation! the terrifying and rapid evolution of technology!) apply to everyone. Come for the potential discounted trips to Europe, stay for the three critical tips on how not to fall for cryptocurrency scams. 

Whether you're 50 plus or 50 minus, this episode is for you.

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Have an idea for an episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

Links:

• AARP New Hampshire
• AgeWellNH and New Hampshire Commission on Aging
• Fraud Watch Network
• Community Challenge Grants
• Small homes, big impact: Bringing back an American tradition as a NH housing solution (written by Christina!)
• Opinion: Crypto ATM scams are surging — NH can’t afford to ignore them (written by Pat!)
• NH Senate bill aims to protect Granite Staters from cryptocurrency scams (WMUR)

Previous episodes referenced: "Where have all the (affordable) houses gone? with Nick Taylor"  and "Community, Care, Compassion (and CrossFit) with Meg Trombley."

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

What exactly happens at a New Hampshire town meeting? Hopkinton Town Moderator Sara Persechino breaks down how town meeting (day? night?) works, what a moderator does, and why local democracy matters.

Liz regrets not making the joke, "it's like 10,000 brooms when all you need is a street sweeper." The show notes will have to do. 

New episodes on Tuesdays.

Become a supporter of the show --> this helps Liz continue to make episodes!

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

This episode pairs well with these previous episodes: "Towns, Property Taxes, and a Street Sweeper (maybe) with Niko Papakonstantis"  and "Voting with McKenzie Taylor"

Links:

• New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights
• Check your voter registration status (NH Secretary of State)
• Do you want to vote but are confused about town meeting? Here’s how it works (Concord Monitor)
• Deliberative sessions, SB2 and more: Your guide to New Hampshire town meetings (NHPR)
• Town meeting or ballot vote? In typical New Hampshire fashion, it depends on the community (Granite State News Collaborative)
• Hopkinton 2026 Town Meeting Information
• New Hampshire Town Meeting Guide: A Voter's Guide (NH Secretary of State)
• Australian Ballot (Brittanica)

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

Holy smokes, everything feels pretty dang stressful right now. How do we take care of ourselves?

This is *not* a commercial for CrossFit, but it IS a conversation with the Head Coach of Dauntless Academy, Meg Trombley, about how she supports members of the gym (like Liz!) in showing up for themselves and one another.

Liz and Meg talk about being athletes and not athletes in their younger years, how one comment made to a teenager can affect their trajectory, and, well...aging. 

This episode was recorded 45 minutes after Liz worked out. Can you tell?

Links:

• Dauntless Academy (come work out with Liz??)
• Tickets to Granite Goodness: LIVE! Local Podcasters Night - Friday, 2/20 at 3S Artspace.
• Become a monthly subscriber of NH Has Issues through Patreon
• Idea for an episode?

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

Maybe we shouldn't bring back polio? Question mark? 

Liz talks with Rep. David Nagel (a physician! a Republican!) about vaccines, public health, and why he is no longer on a New Hampshire House standing committee. Spoiler alert: not his choice.

This episode was recorded on December 22, 2025. Pairs well with the Medicaid: It's Health Insurance! episode with Kristine Stoddard. 

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Links:

• Nagel says choosing principles over party got him booted from health committee (The Laconia Daily Sun)
• GOP House member says party leaders tried to intimidate him before booting him off committee (NH Bulletin)
• House Health and Human Services Committee advances bill to repeal NH Vaccine Association (WMUR)
• Hearing scheduled for bill that would end mandatory school vaccinations in New Hampshire (Concord Monitor)
• Lawmaker wants to end hepatitis B vaccine requirement to align NH with Kennedy’s CDC (NH Bulletin)
• Reps. Sherman Packard & Alexis Simpson: Holocaust denialism has no place in the NH Legislature (Union Leader)
• Following leaked messages, House Republican education chair says she favors politically segregated schools (Concord Monitor)
• Op-Eds about the NH Vaccine Association

Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email Liz: [email protected]

Support the show

NEW: Subscribe to NH Has Issues Substack

NEW: Get your NH Has Issues merch! 

New Hampshire Has Issues is generously sponsored by Seacoast Soils, an organic compost and topsoil provider for New Hampshire, Maine, and Northeast Massachusetts. Visit their website at www.seacoastsoil.com!

Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.