After Gov. Chris Sununu put his foot down, the House Finance Committee has scrapped a plan to adjust state funding of its public schools to meet the orders issued by Judge David Ruoff of Rockingham County Superior Court while marginally increasing aid to hard-pressed school districts.
Rep. Tracy Emerick, R-Hampton, who chairs Division II of the Finance Committee, had proposed hiking the rate of the statewide education property tax (SWEPT) , which currently raises $363 million, to raise $773 million. At the same time, 48 municipalities, where revenue from the SWEPT exceeds the cost of an adequate education, would be required to remit the $88.4 million in overage to the state.
Together these measures would increase the cost of base adequacy to $7,356.01 per pupil and cure the constitutional flaw in the administration of the SWEPT as the court ordered.
Speaking to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Sununu called Ruoff’s orders “stupid” and said, “That judge is a political activist that I think has no place on the bench.” And with that, Emerick withdrew his proposal.
Instead, the Finance Committee dusted off a plan hatched by a special bipartisan committee convened by the speaker of the House, which was adopted as amendments to HB 1583 and to HB 1656 by bipartisan votes of 18-7 and 21-4, respectively.
HB 1583 would increase the per-pupil adequacy from $4,265 under current law to $4,404, an increase of $139.
In districts where 48% or more of students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, the differential aid would be increased from $2,300 to $3,100 per pupil, while in districts with 12% to 48% of eligible students aid would be increased would be to $2,500 per pupil. Districts with equalized property valuation of $800,000 or less would receive fiscal disparity aid of $900 per pupil.
The fiscal note estimates Education Trust Fund expenditure to increase by $61.5 million in FY 2025, $74.3 million in FY 2026 and $67,700 in FY 2027 based on projected enrollment.
HB 1656 would restructure and increase differential aid for pupils receiving special education services, which currently amounts to $2,100. Aid for those pupils receiving services for less than 80% of the school day would increase to $2,642, and aid for those served for more than 80% of the school day would increase to $5,285. Aid to those receiving services outside of the school would increase to $7,927.
Representative Mary Heath, D-Manchester, proposed doubling the appropriation for special education from $17.5 million to $35 million, but her amendment failed on a party-line vote of 13 to 12.
— MICHAEL KITCH
