By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – While Senate Democrats said it does not solve the problem of providing funding adequacy for education in the state, Senate Republicans passed HB1815 that changes the adequacy definition on Thursday.
An identical Senate Bill 659 was tabled. House Bill 1815 https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1534&inflect=2 is now on its way to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk to be signed or vetoed.
The vote on HB1815 was 16-8 along partisan lines. In the House it passed 188-162 on March 5.
Senate Democrats said HB 815 and SB 659 redefine adequacy funds to include targeted aid which only accounts for some students, and some districts, to artificially raise statewide average education funding.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said it is “inviting the perfect lawsuit.”
But Republicans said it more clearly articulates the legislative intent in adequacy.
Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, said Superior Court Judge David Ruoff exceeded his authority in the ConVal case, ruling that the state needs to better fund an adequate education. He noted that it is the legislature, not the courts that defines what is adequate.
Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, said the bill clarifies the legislative intent and “gives us a clear line” to follow.
Democrats, in a statement after the vote charged that Senate Republicans “blitzed forward their new education funding decree in a matter of minutes after they moved to limit any debate or discussion. Facing thirty years of lawsuits, Concord Republicans have decided to pass legislation in their interests, not those of students or property taxpayers.”
Sen. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, characterized the policy as “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
But the Republicans saw it differently.
Abbas urged voters to go to their town’s deliberative session and have their voices heard on education costs.
“That’s how you can impact the level of money going to your schools,” he said.
Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following statement after the vote:
“Every student deserves a quality public education in their community that inspires a lifelong love of learning and builds a bright future. Unfortunately, that’s not possible under New Hampshire’s broken school funding system, which places our State ‘Last in the Nation’ when it comes to its contribution to public education.”