State Reps. Jim Qualey and Rita Mattson talk about education issues at a listening session in Jaffrey on Thursday. ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
State Rep. John Hunt speaks about open enrollment. ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
State Rep. Dick Ames speaks about an upcoming education bill he’s drafting. ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
New Hampshire State Senator Donovan Fenton speaks about education concerns at a listening session on Thursday. ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript
State lawmakers from districts representing Jaffrey, Rindge and Dublin came together on Thursday to discuss education funding concerns in a listening session in Jaffrey.
Hosted by the League of Women Voters and held in the Jaffrey Woman’s Club, the session included State Senators Kevin Avard and Donovan Fenton, and State Reps. John Hunt, Rita Mattson, Jim Qualey, Dick Ames, representing both sides of the aisle. The lawmakers discussed their views on a state-wide education property tax, the concept of open enrollment for public schools, and Education Freedom Accounts.
State education funding
Much of the evening was spent on how best to fund school systems and whether the current level of funding per student is adequate.
Ames passed out a handout for a legislative service request he drafted, the first step toward becoming a bill to be put before the legislature. The request proposes increasing the base cost per student from $4,100 to $7,379, and also increasing aid for students who receive free or reduced lunch, English language learners and special education students.
Ames said there have been a lot of recent cuts to state taxes that would have more than covered the amount of funding needed to increase education spending, adding that there is no need for “radical measures” to raise the funds.
Qualey said the per-student cost for education has ballooned in the last 25 years while the student population has shrunk.
“I’m not necessarily seeing that we have a funding problem here,” Qualey said.
Mattson agreed, calling it a “spending problem,” and said that schools need to be on a budget, like everyone else, and that they need to review items line by line.
“We need to fix this before we’re all priced out of our homes,” Mattson said.
Hunt recalled that in 1999, New Hampshire enacted the state-wide education property tax to help fund public education more equally.
“I was there when we voted for it. I voted for it, I supported it,” Hunt said. But, he said, within a few years, he saw school budgets right back up, saying that districts took the “windfall” of the increased funding and added programs and other things they needed. “Things they always needed, I’m not going to argue that,” Hunt said.
Education Freedom Accounts
Education Freedom Accounts would allow students to access state funds set aside for each individual’s education and use the money to help pay for or offset education in other than public schools, such as charter and private schools and homeschooling.
Representatives were split down party lines on the issue, with Republicans praising the program for allowing freedom of choice in education, and Democrats calling for more transparency.
Avard said he supports school choice, naming several examples of alternatives to public school where he has seen students who had struggled in a traditional public school setting flourish.
Ames said he’s not a fan of the program, mainly for its lack of transparency, saying that an ongoing attempt to audit the program’s funds has been hindered by a lack of data being provided. He said existing data also shows that many families who are accessing Education Freedom Accounts were already sending their children to private schools and were able to afford the cost without the additional funds.
Qualey said Freedom Accounts “respect the individuality of each child.” He said that no one is equipped to know what another person is or isn’t able to afford, or whether the additional funding could make alternative education possible for a family.
Fenton called the accounts a “subsidy” for private schools. He said he, too, is for school choice and supports parents making whatever educational decision is right for their children, but not at the expense of taxpayers. He said the children who don’t attend public schools are not subject to the same state testing. He also objected to the fact that Education Freedom Accounts were originally sold as a benefit for lower-income families, but the income cap has increased, and then was eliminated altogether.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.