Lawmakers met with ConVal Regional School District teachers and administrators on Tuesday, to discuss the impacts of the state budget veto on education funding.
The state is currently operating on the last bienniums’ budget, after Governor Chris Sununu issued a veto on the budget offered by the legislature. The two sides are currently in negotiation, but during a round-table discussion at ConVal High School Tuesday, State Rep. Mary Jane Wallner said it was “unlikely” the governor and legislature would reach a compromise before the first aid payments were due to schools on Sept. 1.
The legislature’s proposed budget provided for an additional $632,914 in education funding for ConVal towns in 2020, and $1.3 million in 2021.
“I’m sure $1.3 million in a district like ConVal means a lot,” Wallner said.
If the two sides are able to come to a resolution, ConVal will still retroactively receive its additional funds, if they remain intact in the compromise budget.
State Senator Jay Kahn of Keene said besides increased education aid, the budget also increased funding for special education, in-state college tuition aid and community college tuition freezes.
The ConVal School District, along with the Mascenic, Monadnock and Winchester School Districts, was involved in a lawsuit earlier this year, challenging the assertion that the state’s education funding formula provides for an adequate education for students in New Hampshire.
The state currently provides adequacy aid of $3,562.71 per student, while the average cost of educating a student in New Hampshire is nearly $19,000 per student. In its lawsuit, ConVal and other districts requested the court set the base adequacy amount to $9,929 per student.
The Cheshire County Superior Court agreed the state is underfunding education but did not rule on what the base adequacy aid should be, leaving that to the legislature.
Lisa Post, a member of the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School Board, questioned where the funding for the increases would be pulled from. The growing elderly population in her district are already straining under growing property taxes, she said.
Lawmakers said the funds were in part from a surplus in the education fund from the previous biennium, putting a freeze on anticipated reductions in some business taxes, and federal tax dollars flowing back into the state from repatriated businesses.
“The choice here is business tax relief or property tax relief,” Kahn said. “The business tax in New Hampshire is already the lowest in New England.”
“This budget favors property tax relief,” said State Rep. Marjorie Porter.
ConVal staff spoke about how tightening budgets have placed more stress on teachers and parents. Patricia MacFarlane said when her son was in school, there was an administrator devoted to connecting parents with family service programs.
“There’s no such person now,” she said.
ConVal teacher Lori Groleau said paraprofessionals and guidance staff have been reduced, and class sizes increased, leading to teacher burnout.
Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders said schools, particularly in rural districts with long bus routes, need transportation assistance. Rural districts have to pay more to get their kids to school, which takes dollars out of their pocket to pay teachers or other education costs, and it’s inequitable, she said.
The state will continue under last biennium’s budget at least until Sept. 30, when the legislature and governor will have to either agree to a budget or extend the resolution to hold spending to the previous budget.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.