Seeking Real Solutions: HB 1636 and HB 1557 - NH School Funding Fairness Project

NHSFFP released the following statement on January 15th, following the House Hearings for HB 1636 and HB 1557.

Advocating for Solutions

January 15: Today, the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project testified in support of HB 1636 and HB 1557, two bills that address the State’s long-standing failure to adequately fund public education and the resulting burden on local property taxpayers. HB 1636 responds directly to the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s ConVal ruling by directing the Department of Revenue Administration to develop transparent, state-generated options to close the roughly $500 million annual education funding gap, while HB 1557 would make targeted, common-sense improvements to Special Education Aid so districts are not forced to absorb extraordinary, legally required costs on their own. Together, the bills reflect the need for planning, predictability, and honest engagement with the reality that New Hampshire’s current school funding system is neither constitutional nor sustainable.

Zack Sheehan, Executive Director of NHSFFP:

“The courts have made it clear: the State is underfunding public education, and local property taxpayers are paying the price.”

“HB 1636 is a data collection bill that simply asks the State to stop pretending this problem doesn’t exist and start planning responsibly. The roughly $500 million funding gap identified in ConVal isn’t new spending — it’s a cost that’s already being paid, just in the most inequitable way possible.”

“Special education services are legally required, unpredictable in cost, and essential for students, yet the State still expects local communities to shoulder more than 80 percent of that burden. HB 1557 is about making an existing program work the way it was intended, so schools actually receive the funding and support they are qualified for.”