AS A FIRST-generation American, I am proud to be the first person in my family to have graduated from college. I owe my success to my parents, who instilled in me that education is the key to success in life. I instilled that belief in my daughter and found a school that challenges and stimulates her. But apparently some New Hampshire lawmakers don't share that belief in the value of a great education.

My husband and I moved to Brentwood because we looked at the school ratings and thought that our children would get a quality education there. From day one, my oldest struggled to engage with the material the way it was being presented to her at our local district school. She went from a girl interested in learning to one discouraged, who said school was boring. We had to act.

We found out about Seacoast Charter School from a friend and teacher. We sent our daughter there because we hoped that their innovative approach could inspire her to want to learn. She is now in third grade and doing fourth-grade math and spelling.

All learners are different. Some require a different focus in their education than a traditional district school can provide. I like the Seacoast Charter School approach because it focuses on the individual and her particular needs. Both of my children now attend Seacoast Charter School, and my oldest has already informed me that she refuses to go back to our town's public school if her school has to close for lack of state funding. She would rather be home-schooled.

What is a family to do when their 9-year-old presents them with this kind of statement? We placed her in an environment that brought out her true potential. But now her school is on the brink of closing because the state has not provided adequate funding.

All the parents of New Hampshire's 400 charter school students took a great risk to give chartered public schools a chance. Parents who saw that it was their responsibility to make sure that their children stayed engaged in school should be rewarded for that commitment, not punished.

The New Hampshire Department of Education received millions of dollars in federal funds to provide three years of start-up funding for charter schools. The department stated in the application that New Hampshire had to provide funding for the charters after the three-year start-up period. However, the Legislature did not provide adequate funding.

Seven of New Hampshire's 10 charter schools face extinction unless the Legislature acts in this session to put permanent funding in place to meet the state's responsibility to satisfactorily fund these public schools.

Will New Hampshire recognize and reward those of us who acted responsibly to ensure that our children be educated in the manner that allows them to thrive and graduate?

Having been educated in public schools, I believe in them. Charter schools are public schools. District schools are not structured to handle every learning style, nor are they embracing diverse teaching methods or pushing education innovation. We parents and taxpayers have a right to demand that all our children be educated in a manner that allows our children to reach their fullest potential. Charter schools give our children that chance.

The state has an obligation to its citizens to educate all of our children, not just the ones that fit into the current system. Parents have a right to demand more from our state's education system because we pay for it through our taxes and it is our responsibility to ensure that our children stay in school, do well and graduate.

Education options are critical to keeping our kids in school and doing well. Funding public charter schools provides an opportunity for both Democrats and Republicans to provide public education for all, not just those who fit in the traditional public school model.

I urge all parents and education reformers to contact your state senators and tell them that New Hampshire can do better by granting permanent, sustainable funding for open enrollment charter schools so that we do not lose great schools, teachers and kids. Our family and others need your support to ensure that charter schools do not become extinct in New Hampshire.

Claudia Rice is a mother from Brentwood.