HB1799

I support this bill because I think our children's education is important and the state is failing to fulfill its obligation to properly define what a good education means financially and how to budget for at a level that doesn't leave the taxpayers picking up the slack.

Goodness gracious! A bill that makes sense! As a school board member, I support this bill as it actually DOES attempt to do something about adequacy funding and the over reliance on property taxes

I strongly support this bill. We have a responsibility to fully fund public education in New Hampshire. This commitment was enshrined in our NH Constitution in 1784 and should be a priority of our legislature. In addition to a fairer model of funding, this bill will ultimately lower the burden of funding schools through property taxes. Please support this bill.

Public Education is supposed to be funded by the state and is not adequately funded in NH. As a retired citizen and property owner, I pay 10,000$ a year on property taxes. This cost is a burden. It is high time that NH accepts a tax- income tax for people making over 150,000$ a year and/or a luxury tax on recreational vehicles and non necessary purchases. I support this bill. Our schools need to be funded!

Follow the law and NH court decisions regarding adequate education funding!

Please support HB1799. As a former educator and long-term resident of New Hampshire I request that your body discuss adequate education and then fund it so that property tax owners can receive relief from high property taxes to support schools..

Please fund our children's education.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s school funding system is unconstitutional because the state is not providing enough funding for an adequate education. We all understand that local property taxpayers currently shoulder most of the burden of funding our schools. But instead of blaming schools, school boards, or educators, and instead of cutting funding, we should be focused on fixing the root cause: the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation. When the state underfunds education, towns are forced to make up the difference. That is the real problem. HB 1799 is a step toward addressing this. The bill responds to the court ruling by updating how an “adequate education” is defined and requiring the state to seriously evaluate what it actually costs to educate students today. It also acknowledges that overreliance on local property taxes is unsustainable and inequitable across communities.

I support this bill because: -:HB 1799 balances the educational needs of the individual child with the ability of the child’s municipality to meet those needs. -HB 1799 clearly identifies most of these needs, and just as clearly specifies how the State of New Hampshire will assist municipalities large and small, rich and poor, in developing concrete components for the education of all its children, and in paying for those elements. -In addition, HB 1799 sets up an Adequate Education Funding Commission to implement its recommendations.. Thank you, for your attention, Tony Scholl

We are an aging state with a need for young people. If we want to keep families with children in NH, we need to adequately fund education. This bill is a step in the right direction. Please suppprt this bill.

Reliance on property taxes to fund public education is unsustainable. Tax payers demand appropriate funding for public schools! NH has had an antiquated school funding system for too long.

For over 30 years, while living in Pittsfield, I have remained close to the education funding situation. 30 years is too long for your group to not solve this issue. Taxpayers in New Hampshire are suffering and so are our students. You know the details I won't labor it. Please I beg of you Make the necessary corrections so schools can be funded equally adequately and fairly and the burden can be removed from the property taxpayers of New Hampshire. Thank you.

State funding is crucial for schools to operate properly. We are talking about the future of this country. what could be more important than that?

It is our duty to properly fund the public schools in NH. The burden should not be solely on the property owners to fund public education through their property taxes.

The state does not have an option, they need to find a way to fund schooling adequately. This bill helps us down the path of taking the responsibility of paying for schools largely through property taxes (inequitable) and to the State. It's not sustainable to rely entirely on property taxes.

I am in support of this bill because the party in change cannot continue to placate gaps in funding by increasing our property taxes instead of increasing taxes on corporations. I am a resident who chooses to send my children to private school and I pay out of pocket for this choice and believe those who can afford to should do the same instead of increasing our property taxes.

I have worked in public school districts in southern New Hampshire for over 10 years and have seen first hand the difficult decisions that have to be made when finding runs short, and those decisions always take something away from the children. The state does not provide anywhere near enough funding per student to what it actually costs to support those students today, and the results are crushing property taxes on homeowners to try and make up the difference and students who don't have the support they need because towns can't afford to provide it. The state needs to do better and provide proper funding to support the next generation so that they can be successful.

Fund our public schools adequately, as required by court order. This will only help build a better future for ALL in NH. This would align with NH values. The current system is bankrupting our schools, leaving far too many students under-prepared for life after high school, making it harder and harder for people to afford their homes, as property taxes continue to rise. These are not NH values.

As a teacher in several different school districts in NH, I have seen how the economics of differing communities impacts public schools. The playing field needs to be leveled so that all children have access to quality buildings, staff, and programs. The state budget should be funding our public schools.

As a school board representative for the town of Rindge I have seen firsthand how NH's failure to provide constitutionally adequate funding and refusal to comply with judicial direction has hurt our community. It has pitted neighbors against each other and forced us to choose between our must vulnerable residents- children and seniors. All the while our Representatives in Concord refuse to take accountability and instead shift the blame to the local school board members. I 100% support HB 1799 and urge our NH Representatives to take this positive step forward for fair education funding and property tax relief.

I support this bill as it reduces tax burden on my town

We need the state to provide adequate funding for adequate education.

Please support 1799 and have a thorough study completed on what the real cost is to fund an adequate education for NH children in public schools, and how NH can fund this at a state level to ensure equity in education and funding. We must stop the unsustainable practice of pushing costs onto property taxes, as this causes inequity. The state has many more opportunities for revenue than towns, especially small ones, and has an obligation to fund an adequate education for students, per our constitution and court rulings. It also has an obligation to pay into the retirement system, which it has not been doing. The majority of parents in NH choose public schools to educate their children, and children with special needs only have the option of public schools. Our schools must be adequately funded for all to have equitable opportunities to learn alongside their peers and become engaged members of our NH community. Our students also deserve to learn in schools that have been maintained and are safe. Instead of pointing random fingers at different districts, administrators, and school boards, let's do the intelligent thing and study the real costs of equitable education in NH, how rising costs are affecting districts, and what the state needs to raise in order to fulfill its bligation to its residents. Thank you.

The cost of education needs to be adequately funded by the state. This is to ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to receive an education and that the burden of cost doesn’t come down to each individual towns.

I live in Farmington and am running for school board here to try to help manage that the situation the state has put us in. Our Title 1 school is being left to fend for itself without the means to offer a reasonable wage, without the tools to manage a shoestring budget, and hesitant to raise funding because of the pressure it puts on our residents on a fixed income. This isn't okay. Drive to a rural area and see the impact of the current funding setup.