Judge: NH owes communities school funding

A judge has ruled that the state must pay school districts $11 million to make up for a cap on education funding.

State education funding for each town is calculated according to enrollment numbers, the number of students receiving free lunches, the number of English language learners, and several other factors.

Starting in 2009 the state limited any increase in state funding, so a town could receive no more than 108% of the previous year's funding from the state.  The cap was intended to make year-to-year funding more consistent and predictable.

In 2015 the state voted to greatly increase that cap.  However, fast-growing school districts – like Dover – argue they have been cheated out of adequate funding.

Last year the Dover School District filed a lawsuit that argued the cap violates the constitutional requirement for adequate education funding. 

Sullivan County Superior Court Justice Brian T. Tucker agreed with Dover, and ruled that the state owes school districts full funding for fiscal year 2016.

Gov. Maggie Hassan supports the ruling.  In a statement she said, “Meeting our obligations to local school districts is critical to ensuring the strong public education system necessary to helping our students develop the skills needed for success in the innovation economy.” 

House Speaker Shawn Jasper and Senate President Chuck Morse issued a statement critical of the ruling.  They noted that the legislature had already passed a bill to gradually lift the cap.

“The legislature continues to lead on education funding. We believe that fully funding education for New Hampshire students is important which is why the current education funding plan eliminates the cap entirely in fiscal year ’18,” said Morse. 

How do you think the state should fund school districts?  Share your opinion in the comments.