Distant Dome

Garry Rayno

Garry Rayno’s Distant Dome runs exclusively on Manchester Ink Link and InDepthNH.org, where Rayno will explore a broader perspective on State House – and state – happenings. Over his three-decade career Rayno has closely covered the NH State House for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Foster’s Daily Democrat, and his coverage spanned the news spectrum, from local planning, school and select boards, to national issues such as electric industry deregulation and Presidential primaries. He is former editor of The Hillsboro Messenger and Assistant Editor of The Argus-Champion. Rayno graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in English Literature and lives with his wife Carolyn in New London.

Co-production between InDepthNH and Manchester In Link

Education

Distant Dome: Two Weeks of Education Funding Legal Wrangling Ahead

The latest round for education funding lawsuits enters the judicial ring this week in Rockingham County Superior Court and will be argued over the next two weeks.

Feature

Good and Bad News Await the Next Governor and Legislature

Whoever wins the governor’s race and controls the House — the Senate is off limits for Democrats thanks to gerrymandering — will face a daunting task in a state government spoiled by the lure of easy federal money intended to blunt the worst fiscal impacts of the COVID pandemic.

Business & Economy

Legislative Committee Puts Off Vote on New Education Rules

The Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules delayed taking action on new rules governing the minimum standards for public schools until its November meeting.

Feature

Distant Dome: Revisiting Claremont Education Decisions Comes at Your Peril

The arguments presented in the attorney general’s, Bradley’s and the 31 Republicans’ briefs urge the Supreme Court to at least review the two original Claremont education decisions and in the case of the lawmakers to overturn those decisions.

Business & Economy

States, Including New Hampshire Face Declining Revenues

The federal dollars that help prevent a debilitating recession fueled state revenues, but now more than half of the states — including New Hampshire — are experiencing lower revenues than the year before.

Feature

Report on Qualifying EFA Families Shows Errors in a Quarter of Applications

While lawmakers await a performance audit of the Education Freedom Account program by the Legislative Budget Assistant expected later this year, a Department of Education compliance report done last fall, but released last month found enough issues to require the program’s administrator to reverify all participants’ applications for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.

Education

Dem Lawmaker Confronts Edelblut on Proposed Minimum Standard Changes

Draft changes to minimum standards for public schools, approved unanimously by the State Board of Education last week, were the subject of a legislative oversight meeting Thursday with a Democrat tangling with the Education Commissioner for two hours on whether they water down education in New Hampshire.