Op-Ed: Post-Election Anxiety and Education Funding Tidbits

From ‘A Book, an Idea and a Goat,’ Andru Volinsky’s weekly newsletter on Substack is primarily devoted to writing about the national movement for fair school funding and other means of effecting social change. Here’s the link: https://substack.com/@andruvolinsky?utm_source=profile-page

By ANDRU VOLINSKY

I don’t ask people if they are well anymore. Instead, I ask how they are managing. A lot, and I mean a lot, has changed following the election and a lot more will change soon, not likely for the better. We are holding the people of Ukraine and Gaza in our thoughts this Thanksgiving, as well as Israelis who are not settlers or right wing sympathizers of Netanyahu. We are also thinking of the marginalized people and working families in the US.

I thought it would be helpful to link you to our daughter Mollie’s previous guest post on how to deal with election anxiety. Her advice fits post-election anxiety, too. But first, I can’t resist a tidbit that updates my Rand School Funding Case post from last week and a book suggestion.

Rand School Funding Case TidBit

Solicitor General Anthony Galdieri argued to the Supreme Court that the Statewide Education Property Tax (SWEPT) does not apply to taxpayers who live in unincorporated areas because unincorporated areas are not “municipalities.” Their municipal services are handled by the county.

The NH Department of Revenue Adminstration (DRA) just taxed the areas Galdieri claimed were not subject to the tax. The DRA posted its summary of tax warrants for the SWEPT at virtually the same time Galdieri was making his argument. You can find the revenues to be raised from the SWEPT, by location, here.

The DRA assesses the SWEPT against taxable property in unincorporated areas because they believe they are compelled by law to do so. They’ll assess the local canceling tax rate a bit later. Why go through this charade if the law doesn’t require a tax warrant to be issued for property in the unicorporated areas? And, who gave the DRA authority to issue the canceling local rates?

Some would characterize the state’s argument as a “litigation tactic.” That’s probably not the term I’ll use while having a beer over the holidays.

Read a Book

Our son, Josh, mentioned he hoped to read a book during the Thanksgiving break. Not a small feat for a guy with three small children. Made me think of what I’ll read. I am going to check out Everyone’s Trash—One Man Against 1.6 Billion Pounds. It’s by Keene author and solid waste pro Duncan Watson. Here’s an interview of Watson by Beverly Stoddart of InDepth NH. It should be a good read, says the guy who once took a book called Waste on his vacation.

Here’s Mollie’s piece: