Association has long held that public education funding must be sufficient, equitable, and sustainable.
JULY 27, 2022 – CONCORD, NH – The NEA-New Hampshire Executive Board voted to support the education funding lawsuit led by John Tobin, Natalie Laflamme and Andru Volinsky to force the state to address the vastly different rates placed on New Hampshire taxpayers based on decades of insufficient state funding for education.
“We have long held that funding for public education regardless of your zip code must be sufficient, equitable, and sustainable,” said Megan Tuttle, NEA-New Hampshire President. “The current formula used in New Hampshire fails to meet all of these standards.”
“A high-quality education system endows all students with the ability to uncover their gifts, sharpen their skills, and bestow their talents upon our communities,” continued Tuttle. “None of this is possible, however, without sufficient and equitable funding.”
NEA-NH believes that investing in high-quality public schools is the best way to improve and sustain our economy. Investing in education—and students—is one crucial way to invest in the future and retain economic leadership. With sufficient funding, public education will not only create successful citizens, but will also be a vehicle to attract businesses, create jobs, and encourage entrepreneurship.
NEA Research’s Rankings of the States 2021 and Estimates of School Statistics 2022 found that New Hampshire ranked 49th in the percentage of funding provided by the state, forcing local districts to be responsible for close to 62% of public-school financial support.
The NEA-NH Executive Board sees this lawsuit as one of the steps needed to help elected leaders realize it is long past time to act on this perennial problem.
For more about the lawsuit and how you can help lend your support, visit the NH School Funding Fairness Project site.