Local leaders: For students and taxpayers, NH must improve state funding of schools

Portsmouth Herald
·10 min read

March 13 — To the Editor:

To Gov. Chris Sununu and the General Court of New Hampshire:

Two years ago, a group of over 80 local leaders — including mayors, city councilors, Select Board members, and School Board members — requested that the state of New Hampshire make changes to its education funding system in order to address well-known inequities and gaps. Over the past two years, we have worked hard for our schools and communities to provide the best education possible for our students while balancing the economic realities of our taxpayers.

There is a significant gap between the actual cost of education and what the State has determined to be adequate. The average cost to educate one student for a whole year is about $20,000, however the State only provides, on average, approximately $4,700 per student.
There is a significant gap between the actual cost of education and what the State has determined to be adequate. The average cost to educate one student for a whole year is about $20,000, however the State only provides, on average, approximately $4,700 per student.

During that same time, the state continued to avoid its constitutional responsibility to provide adequate education to New Hampshire students. The current state budget — passed in 2021 — continued to downshift costs onto local towns and cities. The budget removed targeted property tax relief directed towards communities with lower property values and high taxes, in favor of tax cuts that benefited wealthier communities more than those with higher levels of need.

Meanwhile, the state has seen years of record surplus, indicating that additional funds exist to implement these needed changes. Education funding in New Hampshire continues to be inequitable. Lawmakers have allowed for a decrease in education funding year after year, contributing to increases in property taxes across many communities throughout New Hampshire. Currently, lawmakers in Concord are working on the state budget. This is the singlemost significant vehicle for addressing this problem and we once again call on the New Hampshire Legislature and governor to act.

There is a significant gap between the actual cost of education and what the state has determined to be adequate. The average cost to educate one student for a whole year is about $20,000, however the state only provides, on average, approximately $4,700 per student. Local property taxpayers must make up the difference, resulting in large variability in tax rates and the quality of education provided. Communities that struggle to raise money for their schools are the communities that are forced to increase their tax rates the most. Unsurprisingly, in its finalreport, the Commission to Study School Funding found that the “current public school funding system should be reformed to include increased state budget funds that are directed to communities that have greater student needs, which will also result in greater taxpayer equity by reducing disproportionate burdens on poorer towns.”

As determined by numerous New Hampshire Supreme Court rulings, the state has a constitutional duty to fund public education. However, decades of inaction and cost-downshifting onto towns and cities by the state have disproportionately forced local taxpayers to pick up the tab for education. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, New Hampshire has the lowest percentage of state funding for public education of any state in the country, resulting in local property taxpayers being forced to bear over 70% of the total cost of public education, farexceeding the national average of 44.5%.

The work of the Commission to Study School Funding is still fresh, yet none of the findings or suggestions of the commission have been incorporated into how our state funds education. The commission’s major findings point to a regressive education funding system that utilizes inaccurate funding models, provides fewer resources to communities with higher needs, and consequently produces lower educational outcomes for those communities.

Just recently, New Hampshire received another “F” from the Education Law Center on how well it distributes statefunds to schools with high levels of students experiencing poverty. The framework of solutions proposed within the commission’s final report would result in property tax relief for the vast majority of local taxpayers. The solutions would also improve outcomes for many high-need students by not only providing more education funding to almost all school districts, but by specifically aiding districts that serve students with greater needs.

It is once again the strongly held belief of those signed below that strong, well-funded public education is the most important asset for the future of New Hampshire and its citizens. With about 90% of New Hampshire children attending public schools, the lack of investment from the State not only harms local taxpayers, but also the vast majority of our children. We believe that the state of New Hampshire needs to invest in the future of this state and its students by incorporating the recommendations from the Commission to Study School Funding into thestate budget process.

Addressing these inequities could finally bring the state of New Hampshire into compliance with the multitude of education funding decisions issued by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the decades since the first Claremont ruling in 1993. The continued failure to shift the burden of public education off the shoulders of local property taxpayers has resulted in multiple ongoing lawsuits against the state of New Hampshire. These lawsuits are challenging not only how much money the state pays towns and cities in adequate education funding, but also how that money is raised. Regardless of the outcomes of these lawsuits, the responsibility to address the funding disparities remains in the hands of the New Hampshire Legislature and governor.

As with any system or structure that has been left unrepaired and unmaintained for decades, the efforts required to resolve the issues at hand will need to be substantial and intensive. But it doesn’t mean it will be harmful to the wallets of Granite Staters. Modeling done by the American Institute of Research for the Commission to Study School Funding found that if the State were to take responsibility for the bulk of education funding, “70% of towns would see a reduction in property tax rates.” The cost savings for most New Hampshire taxpayers, however, should notbe the only reason for acting on this issue. These changes are necessary for the long-term success of New Hampshire’s public schools and students.

Through the current state budget process, the Legislature and governor have an opportunity to fix these problems to ensure that students in every school district in New Hampshire have access to the best possible public education, while also providing real property tax relief to taxpayers in every corner of the state. By fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to fund education, the state will address the present economic realities and hardships faced by many of our neighbors, while investing in our students and the future of New Hampshire.

Kris Bellerose, School Board Vice Chair, Allenstown; Andrea Campbell, School Board, Bedford; Joe Boutin, School Board Chair, Benton; Dwight Swauger, School Board, Benton; Paul Grenier, Mayor, Berlin; Diana Berthiaume, City Council, Berlin; Mark Eastman, City Council, Berlin; Peter Higbee, City Council, Berlin; Peter Morency, City Council, Berlin; Denise Morgan, City Council, Berlin; Lucie Remillard, City Council, Berlin; Robert Theberge, City Council, Berlin; Roland Theberge, City Council, Berlin; Eamon Kelley, School Board, Berlin; Nathan Morin, School Board, Berlin; Ann Nolin, School Board Chair, Berlin; Lorrie Carey, Select Board Chair, Boscawen; Jon Morgan, Select Board, Brentwood; Len Fleischer, School Board, Chesterfield; Dale Girard, Mayor, Claremont; Debora Matteau, Assistant Mayor, Claremont; Matt Mooshian, City Council, Claremont; Bob Cotton, School Board, Concord; Sarah Robinson, School Board, Concord; Jonathan Weinberg, School Board, Concord; Stacey Brown, City Council, Concord; Zandra Rice Hawkins, City Council, Concord; Evelyn Flynn, School Board, Dalton; Brenda Willis, School Board, Derry; Robert Carrier, Mayor, Dover; Dennis Shanahan, Deputy Mayor, Dover; Michelle Clancy, School Board, Dover; Micaela Demeter, School Board, Dover; Maggie Fogarty, School Board, Dover; Carolyn Mebert, School Board Chair, Dover; Jessica Rozzo, School Board Vice Chair, Dover; Robin Trefethen, School Board, Dover; Debra Hackett, City Council, Dover; Robert Hinkel, City Council, Dover; Linnea Nemeth, City Council, Dover; Lindsey Williams, City Council, Dover; Carden Welsh, Town Council, Durham; Nancy Belanger, Select Board, Exeter; Molly Cowan, Select Board Vice Chair, Exeter; Dawn Bullens, School Board Chair, Exeter Elementary; Kimberly Masucci Meyerr, School Board, Exeter Regional Cooperative; Helen Joyce, School Board Chair, Exeter Regional Cooperative; Ami Faria, Budget Committee Chair, Exeter Regional Cooperative; Jo Brown, Mayor, Franklin; Deborah Brown, School Board, Franklin; Delaney Carrier, School Board Vice Chair, Franklin; Laurie Cass, School Board, Franklin; Liz Cote, School Board, Franklin; Timothy Dow, School Board Chair, Franklin; Christie Martin, School Board, Franklin; Olivia Zink, City Council, Franklin; Kelly Boyer, Select Board Vice Chair, Goffstown; Shane Rozamus, School Board, Goffstown; Melanie Renfrew-Hebert, Budget Committee, Goffstown; Jason Giard, School Board Vice Chair, Hampstead; Megan Malcolm, School Board, Hampstead; Erin Pellegrini, School Board, Hampstead; David Smith, School Board Chair, Hampstead; Steve Morse, Select Board Vice Chair, Hampstead; Sean Murphy, Select Board Chair, Hampstead; Laurie Warnock, Select Board, Hampstead; Maurice Worthen Jr, Select Board, Hampstead; Anthony Daniels, School Board, Haverhill; Aaron Palm, School Board, Haverhill; David Robinson, School Board Chair, Haverhill; Chris Bober, School Board Chair, Hillsboro-Deering; ichael Kenney, School Board, Hillsboro-Deering; Andrea Folsom, School Board Chair, Hopkinton; Norm Goupil, School Board, Hopkinton; Rob Nadeau, School Board Vice Chair, Hopkinton; Kenneth Traum, Select Board Vice Chair, Hopkinton; Daisy Hawlk, School Board, Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative; John McCarthy, School Board Chair, Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative; Lisa Wiley, School Board, Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative; Emma Bates, School Board, Kearsarge Regional; Bebe Casey, School Board, Kearsarge Regional; Mike Giacomo, City Council Vice Chair, Keene; Gladys Johnsen, City Council, Keene; Bobby Williams, City Council, Keene; Andrew Hosmer, Mayor, Laconia; Tony Felch, City Council, Laconia; Katrin Kasper, Select Board Vice Chair, Lee; Arthur Boutin, Select Board & School Board, Lisbon; Vincent Berk, School Board, Lyme; Jennifer Boylston, School Board Vice Chair, Lyme; Hayes Greenway, School Board, Lyme; Joyce Craig, Mayor, Manchester; Peter Argeropoulos, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Jason Bonilla, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Nicole Leapley, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Peter Perich, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Chris Potter, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Karen Soule, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Julie Turner, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Leslie Want, Board of School Committee, Manchester; Christine Fajardo, Board of Aldermen, Manchester; Patrick Long, Board of Aldermen Chair and State Representative, Manchester; Will Stewart, Board of Aldermen, Manchester; Tim Josephson, School Board Chair, Mascoma Valley Regional; Hope Stragnell, School Board, Mascoma Valley Regional; Lorrie Carey, School Board, Merrimack Valley; Seelye Longnecker, School Board Chair, Merrimack Valley; Jessica Wheeler Russell, School Board, Merrimack Valley; Laura Vincent, School Board, Merrimack Valley; Kenneth Lee Dube, Select Board, Milan; Randy Fortin, Select Board Chair, Milan; Jim Donchess, Mayor, Nashua; Lori Wilshire, Board of Aldermen President, Nashua; Regan Lamphier, Board of Education, Nashua; Janet Kidder, Select Board, New London; Dominic Halle, School Board, Newfound Area; James Burroughs, Select Board, Newport; Barry Connell, Select Board Vice Chair, Newport; Jeffrey Kessler, Select Board Chair, Newport; Keith Sayer, Select Board, Newport; Herbert Tellor, Select Board, Newport; Stacy Driscoll, School Board, Pembroke; David Doherty, Budget Committee, Pembroke; Sarah Marston Duval, School Board, Pittsfield; Matthew Pappas, School Board, Rochester; Alexander de Geofroy, City Council, Rochester; Ashley Desrochers, City Council, Rochester; Dana Hilliard, Mayor, Somersworth; David Witham, Deputy Mayor, Somersworth; Donald Austin, City Council, Somersworth; Nancie Cameron, City Council, Somersworth; Matthew Gerding, City Council, Somersworth; Robert Gibson, City Council, Somersworth; Denis Messier, City Council, Somersworth; Richard Michaud, City Council, Somersworth; Kari Clark, School Board, Somersworth; Maggie Larson, School Board Chair, Somersworth; Mark Richardson, School Board, Somersworth; Barbara Wentworth, School Board, Somersworth; Lisa Davenport, School Board Vice Chair, Stoddard; Alfrieda Englund, School Board Chair, Stoddard; Jesse Tyler, School Board Chair, Sunapee; Laura Botelho, School Board, Washington; Christine Heath, School Board Chair, Weare; William Politt, School Board, Weare; Alyssa Small, School Board, Weare; Kevin Cahill, Select Board, Weare; Stephanie Clark, School Board Vice Chair, Wentworth; Lauren Youngs, School Board Chair, Wentworth; Robert Loiacono, School Board Chair, White Mountains Regional; Kristen van Bergen-Buteau, School Board, White Mountains Regional

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Local leaders: NH must improve state funding of schools