The NH School Funding Fairness Project performs grassroots and legislative advocacy for greater equity in public school funding and taxation. We believe in a Granite State where all students are educated excellently, all schools are funded equitably, and all homeowners are taxed fairly.
Mission
The mission of the NH School Funding Fairness Project is to inform the public about the condition of New Hampshire public schools and their funding; to advocate for changes to make the system more equitable for students and taxpayers alike; and, if necessary, to prosecute, manage, control, and/or participate in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the system for funding education in New Hampshire.
History
The NH School Funding Fairness Project has its roots in the 1990s when the Claremont School District sued the State of New Hampshire on the grounds that our public education is funded in a way that creates inequities for students and taxpayers, in violation of the NH Constitution.
The NH Supreme Court ruled in their favor, holding that the State is obligated to fully fund a constitutionally adequate education for every NH child and pay for it with taxes assessed at the same rate throughout the state. Despite this order and several subsequent court orders along the same lines, the disparities caused by our school funding structure remain as great today as when the Claremont case was first filed. Many school districts in “property poor” towns are unable to pay competitive salaries; high teacher turnover rates mean that students in these towns are repeatedly taught by inexperienced, less effective teachers. Some struggling districts have had to stop offering art, language, or AP classes, extended learning opportunities, or the support services their students need and some have even had to shut down entire buildings.
Beginning in the spring of 2018, in an effort to work toward a legislative solution to this school funding crisis, Claremont attorneys and local policy experts began giving “School Funding and Property Taxes 101” presentations to audiences around the state. The presentations were designed to inform citizens about the impact of the current school funding structure on their schools, communities, and property tax rates and to encourage them to raise the issue with candidates running for state office in 2018 and, later, with elected lawmakers.
Over the years the organization grew and, in spring of 2019, the original “Claremont Lawsuit Coalition” was re-vitalized to continue the work of achieving the promise of the Claremont decisions. A new board was elected, which included the core group that had been working together on these issues over the past year, and the name was changed to the NH School Funding Fairness Project.
Since then, we’ve continued to present around the State, and have taken on advocating for fair funding at the State House and supporting two ongoing legal challenges to New Hampshire’s unconstitutional school funding system.