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Legislation

House Votes Down Four School Funding Proposals

Feb 20, 2026

Four School Funding Bills Fail to Advance in the House

This week, the House voted to end consideration of four school funding bills that would have shifted more responsibility for public education costs back to the State and off of local property taxes: 

  • HB 1557 would have improved the Special Education Aid program by lowering the threshold for state assistance and increasing predictability for districts facing high-cost, legally required services.
     
  • HB 1799 would have raised base adequacy funding to $7,379 per pupil in base aid, the minimum level identified by the courts, increased funding for additional services for students who are English language learners or receive special education, and dramatically expanded eligibility to an existing property tax relief program that is outdated and ineffective.

  • HB 1831 would have repealed the targeted aid cap affecting only Manchester, preventing a projected $9-10 million annual loss in state funding that will now go into effect in 2027. This bill was tabled, meaning it can technically still be considered and passed for the next few weeks, but only if legislators who opposed it change their votes.

  • HB 1835 would have moved New Hampshire toward reimbursing 80 percent of actual special education costs to our school districts, rather than relying on a flat per-pupil amount that covers less than 10% of actual costs. 

All four bills failed to advance on the House floor. While they took different approaches, each proposal would have increased the State’s role in funding public education and reduced pressure on local property taxpayers. 

While these proposals will not move forward this session, the issues they sought to address are not going away. Across New Hampshire, communities continue to grapple with rising costs, uneven property tax burdens, and the shared commitment to ensuring that every student can access a strong public education. That conversation, and the work of building lasting solutions, will continue. 

Check out our Legislation page to go deeper with the policies we are following this session.