HOUSE REPUBLICANS BLOCK EQUITABLE FUNDING AMENDMENT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Republicans on Division II of the House Finance Committee blocked an amendment to House Bill 2 that would have directed more funding to school districts and commu-nities with the most need. Following the vote to block this amendment, Representative Mary Heath (D-Manchester) released the following statement:
“So many schools and communities across the state have been hit very hard during the pandemic. Our goal for education funding should always be to give our kids the absolute best educational opportunities possible. The amendment I proposed today would have sent an additional $100 million directly to schools based on existing education funding formulas, thereby positively impacting the districts with the most need.
Unfortunately, the amendment proposed and preferred by Republicans on the committee took that same $100 million and applied it evenly across the state, regardless of the local circumstances of individual communities. Education funding is not equitable in this state, and serious proposals to improve how our schools are funded must work to provide direct assistance to the school districts who need it most. The increased revenue our divi-sion was given to work with was a great opportunity for the legislature to step in and support our schools dur-ing this time of crisis, and I’m disappointed that our division did not move forward with a serious solution.”
HOUSE LABOR COMMITTEE HEARS “RIGHT TO WORK” LEGISLATION
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – The House Labor Committee heard Senate Bill 61, “Right-to-Work” legislation. Ahead of the public hearing, Representative Brian Sullivan (D-Grantham) released the following statement:
“New Hampshire has a long history of beating back right to work legislation. The result of this legislation would be to suppress wages, decrease workplace safety standards, and reduce the quality of public services that we rely on, especial-ly as our state is recovering from the economic and public health impact of the pandemic.
Time and time again, the legislature has stood with workers, families, and businesses to stop out-of-state corporate spe-cial interest groups from their assault on unions, and I am confident that there will be a strong showing against this bill at the public hearing.”
NH Supreme Court Releases ConVal Decision
CONCORD – The New Hampshire Supreme Court released their decision on the case of the ConVal School District v. State of New Hampshire. The decision sends the case back to the Superior Court for trial on the merits. After the release of the decision, Senator Jay Kahn (D-Keene), Representative Mel Myler (D-Hopkinton), and Representative David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) issued the following statements:
“By remanding the case to the Superior Court, this ruling provides plaintiffs the opportunity to argue the harm in the state’s current adequate education funding formula,” stated Senator Jay Kahn (D-Keene). “By failing to distribute state funding based on a district's student needs and community characteristics, the opportunity for an adequate education is made more unequal across the state. This debate has been ongoing in the courts and the legislature for decades. It is long past time for New Hampshire to adopt a state allocation model that com-pensates school districts for differences in student need and community characteristics.
“The Commission has laid the foundation of new findings on the impact of improper school funding by the state that has led to unequal education opportunities for students across the state,” added Representative Mel Myler (D-Hopkinton).
“Legislative efforts to improve public education should be measured by meaningful improvements in student equity and the taxpayer equity that follows it,” said Representative Dave Luneau (D-Hopkinton). “The clock has started for the state to replace the antiquated one-size-fits-all funding model and make sure every school district has access to the financial resources they need.”