New Hampshire Educators Expect School Budget Cuts, Impact on Classrooms and Student Support After November Votes on Misleading Ballot Question 2
CONCORD, NH – On Tuesday, November 3, every Granite State voter had the opportunity to vote on “Question 2”—a misleading one-size-fits-all school funding cap mandated to appear on the ballot in every school district by HB 1300.
Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire, provided the following comment:
“After decades of state inaction on fair public school funding in New Hampshire, anti-public education politicians put forward a misleading ballot question with a false promise that cutting funding for our schools wouldn’t impact students or classrooms. While Tuesday’s results on Question 2 reflect the very real frustration Granite Staters feel about their property tax bills, that frustration should not be mistaken for support for a policy that threatens students’ educational opportunities.
Nearly 90% of New Hampshire students attend public schools, making their success essential to the future of our entire state. Granite Staters believe every student, in every community, deserves access to a strong public education.
Families, including educators, are feeling the squeeze as the cost of living rises and property taxpayers are forced to shoulder an unfair share of the cost of public education. The State of New Hampshire’s longstanding failure to adequately fund our schools—despite multiple court rulings—has created an inequitable system that forces neighbors to choose between supporting strong public schools and keeping their own households financially secure. That is an impossible choice no Granite Stater should be forced to make.
The fundamental truth remains unchanged: the State contributes just 17 cents of every dollar spent on public education in New Hampshire, the lowest state contribution in the country. Until the state meets its responsibility to fund public education fairly and adequately, property taxpayers and students will continue to suffer the consequences.
Regardless of Tuesday’s results, our commitment to New Hampshire’s students and public schools has not changed. NEA-New Hampshire will work with communities before the annual school district meetings in March to educate voters about the potential impact of school funding caps and how these caps can be potentially overridden to meet the needs of students. Further, we will work with the newly elected pro-public education majorities at the State House to advance a fairer school funding system that supports strong public schools, respects local decision-making, and ensures every Granite State student has the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive.”
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About NEA-New Hampshire
NEA-New Hampshire is the largest union of public employees in the state. Founded in 1854, the New Hampshire State Teachers Association became one of the "founding ten" state education associations that formed the National Education Association in 1857. Known today as NEA-NH, the state’s largest educator union’s mission to advocate for the children of New Hampshire and public-school employees, and to promote lifelong learning, remains true after more than 165 years. Our members are public school employees in all stages of their careers, including classroom teachers and other certified professionals, staff and instructors at public higher education institutions, students preparing for a teaching career, education support personnel and those retired from the profession.
