The New Hampshire House has voted 206-165 to approve an amendment to HB 2, effectively discarding a statewide school budget cap. This cap, initially included by the House Finance Committee from HB 675, aimed to limit school district budgets based on inflation and enrollment trends, ignoring actual costs like teacher salaries and utility expenses. This move follows strong local opposition, as communities in New Hampshire have rejected similar spending caps during school district meetings.
Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, expressed approval of the decision: “For months, Granite Staters have overwhelmingly spoken up and voted against efforts to arbitrarily cap local school budgets. Today, state lawmakers listened to their constituents and voted to strip a statewide school budget cap mandate from the state budget.”
Tuttle acknowledged the issue of rising property taxes, stating, “As taxpayers, educators understand the frustration with the rise in property taxes—and we feel it, too. But putting arbitrary spending caps on public school budgets is not the way to address a funding crisis created by the State’s failure to fully fund an adequate education.” She highlighted the disparity in funding, noting, “While New Hampshire ranks in the Top 10 for public education funding overall, nationwide we are 50th—dead last—when it comes to state funding.”
Looking ahead, Tuttle emphasized the need for continued collaboration: “We hope elected officials continue listening to the people of New Hampshire, who overwhelmingly support their community public schools, and work across the aisle to fix our state’s broken education funding system to ensure every child has access to a quality education, regardless of their zip code.”
NEA-New Hampshire is the largest public employees’ union in the state, advocating for New Hampshire’s children and public school employees since 1854. The organization, consisting of more than 17,000 members, remains committed to promoting lifelong learning.
