
Claremont I and Claremont II
The first entry on our summer reading list appropriately sets the stage for everything else we’ll read this summer. These two decisions establish the basic tenets for constitutional school funding in New Hampshire.
Before digging into these decisions, it is important to know the historical context that birthed the Claremont lawsuit. During the 1980s and ’90s, school districts were even more reliant on local property taxes to fund their schools than they are now, which meant communities with low property values needed to levy very high tax rates to fund education, but still weren’t bringing in enough revenue. In Claremont in particular, Stevens High School lost its accreditation because the district couldn’t afford to pay for necessary updates and renovations.
Claremont, along with the Pittsfield, Lisbon, Franklin, and Allenstown school districts, eight parents and taxpayers, and five students, filed a lawsuit arguing that the State had a responsibility, per the NH Constitution, to fund public education. These decisions are the result of that suit. Click on the buttons below to read the NH Supreme Court’s decisions.
Claremont I (1993) Claremont II (1997)