Thank You

First of all, we want to convey a huge thank you to all of you! Our “90 Hours for $90 Million” campaign reached more than 20,000 Granite Staters in the span of four days, and together you took action in support of New Hampshire’s students and taxpayers.

The House Budget Vote

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed an extremely disappointing version of the FY22-23 budget that fails to meet the needs of families and communities across New Hampshire. Among other things, the House rejected two amendments offered by Representative Mary Heath of Manchester. The first (Amendment #1073) would have replaced a proposed $100 million reduction in the statewide education property tax (SWEPT) with a guaranteed funding floor for all school districts for the next two years; the second (Amendment #1062) would have allocated additional resources to school funding should revenue projections improve.

The SWEPT reduction approved by the House will distribute some funds to each town, but less than 5 percent of the total reduction will be sent to the 20 property-poorest communities in New Hampshire. For example, if kept in the final budget, Charlestown will receive a total of about $154,000 in SWEPT tax cuts. But, if a funding floor that guaranteed all districts no less than they received last year were to pass, Charlestown would receive over $1,000,000. Without additional education aid, the House budget passed under the guise of tax cuts will translate to local property tax increases for many of our neighbors.

You can see more of the comparison in our latest fact sheet here, or in the video below.

If you would like to see how your Representatives voted, you can click here for the SWEPT vs. Floor roll call vote, and here for the additional revenue amendment. Please take a moment to thank them if they voted “yea” on either. If they did not, please urge them to reconsider their position when the House votes on the final budget in June.

The Road Ahead

While the outcome is frustrating, Wednesday’s vote is not the end. This is merely the latest step in the long process toward a FY22-23 budget and greater educational equity in our state. You can bet we won’t be giving up now! Stay tuned for information and action as the budget heads to the Senate – and as we continue to push for lasting reform for the students, families, and taxpayers of New Hampshire.