As lifelong residents of Claremont, we’ve all witnessed the ongoing tug-of-war between school funding and property tax burdens here. With educators trying to do more with less, it’s frustrating to see inaction and inadequate approaches from the State, instead of meaningful education funding solutions for tough issues facing communities like ours. On May 25th at the CSB Community Center, the NH School Funding Fairness Project will be here to talk about it.
Our NH Supreme court has consistently ruled that the responsibility for providing all k-12 students with an adequate education lies with the State. That’s best accomplished with strong public schools. But under an umbrella of “local control”, important for local curriculum and operations decisions, the legislature evades the hard work of creating fair and comprehensive funding for schools, and for taxpayers.
Local control is indeed important, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for unwillingness to design solutions that meet court mandated obligations that all k-12 public school children receive an adequate education, adequately funded, regardless of zip code.
Consider this: New Hampshire calculates education funding at an average of approximately $4,600 per student per year. But the actual annual average cost per student is $19,400. In Claremont it’s $19,800 per student to meet annual needs and obligations. This enormous disparity forces struggling communities to bridge annual funding gaps that can only be filled by higher local property tax rates and impossible decisions between education and manageable taxation. At what point is enough, enough?
The State legislature has even failed to define what an adequate education should really cost, much less create a funding formula that works for all districts and communities. Multiple court cases have demanded solutions, and communities around the state are crying the alarm. Meanwhile, workable, property tax based recommendations put forth in 2020 by the Commission to Study School Funding continue to be ignored, leaving our schools and communities vulnerable to annual funding shortfalls and challenges.
As a long-time citizen volunteer focused on economic development, I have witnessed firsthand the negative effects of school funding disparity on our community. Employers and others scrutinize harder whether to invest or settle in Claremont, despite its great improvements, fearing for inadequate educational resources. To overcome it, our community has to work that much harder. It’s a vicious cycle that hampers the work we do for future growth.
This cycle must change. The first steps in solving a problem are to recognize there is one. So I encourage residents of Claremont to attend a presentation by the NH School Funding Fairness Project on May 25th at 6:30 PM, at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center. Invest an hour to learn about this problem and what’s being done about it. Claremont Schools have proven time and again that they can do with less, but is that really what we want? To change inadequate funding and stubborn inaction by the State, real advocacy is necessary. Join us on May 25th and take a baby step.
Andy Lafreniere is a Claremont business owner, citizen volunteer, and lifelong Claremont resident.
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