Vote ‘no’ on school tax cap
As a retiree struggling with high property taxes, I oppose HR 1300, a school budget cap.
Why?
Because I hold education sacrosanct. Well-educated children are the future of democracy, and 85% of New Hampshire children attend public schools. I trust education professionals to know what good schools need.
Also, the cap is misleading. It would not necessarily lower our taxes; it’s linked to inflation (soaring because of Washington’s war in Iran.) And a two-year cap prevents schools from adjusting to unexpected costs – rising energy prices, health insurance premiums, and other volatile unknowns. A school district must control its own budget and be accountable only to the towns it serves.
Now a general court seems bent on stripping public resources through tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, to the tune of $3 billion in recent years, funds that would more than cover schools, Medicaid, SNAP, childcare, and infrastructure.
And reduce our property taxes as well.
The capper for me was learning that in 2024, the New Hampshire Education Freedom Accounts allowed New Hampshire students to spend upwards of $750,000 of our tax dollars at 44 private schools in 11 states, from Maine to California, including the prestigious Ethel Walker in Conn. Wealthy people don’t have the right to choose private schooling at the expense of New Hampshire’s public school system. It’s wrong.
Don’t be tricked. Join me in voting No on HB 1300, and vote for candidates who support robust New Hampshire public schools and responsible stewardship of our tax dollars.