Latest news with #Staters
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If New Hampshire appreciates its teachers, now is a good time to show them
"At the state and federal level, anti-public education politicians are trying to turn public funding into blank checks for private schools." (Photo by Dave Cummings/New Hampshire Bulletin) Every day, teachers are nurturing and supporting our precious students in classrooms across New Hampshire. Teachers dedicate their careers and their lives to providing young Granite Staters with the tools they need to build bright futures and live out their dreams. May 5-9 marks Teacher Appreciation Week nationwide — an important moment to ensure the teachers in our lives know how much they mean to us and our communities. It's important to show — and tell — our gratitude. I am so grateful for every New Hampshire teacher. To those who taught me how to teach, to my colleagues in the classroom who supported me and guided me throughout my career, to the dedicated professionals who I trust to teach my three sons — thank you! You inspire me every day, and you inspire the next generation to be their best selves. This year, I hope you'll join me to show your appreciation and show up for teachers. We can drop off a gift card and we can drop by a school board meeting. We can tell teachers how much we care about their work. And we can tell our policy makers to protect our neighborhood public schools. At the state and federal level, anti-public education politicians are trying to turn public funding into blank checks for private schools. They want to give more handouts and tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires while breaking our public schools and taking resources away from teachers and students. We can't afford to let them turn funding for public school students and teachers into private school vouchers. We can't afford to let them slash programs like Medicaid and children's health insurance that keep students healthy and ready to learn. We can't afford to let them cut programs that keep our kids safe, like the Office of the Child Advocate. These harmful proposals — and more — are all contained in the current state budget draft. We know what appreciation would look like in action. Teachers would have classrooms that are stocked with supplies they need and full of the joy that students deserve. Teachers would come to work at schools that are safe, welcoming, and well-funded. Teachers would have the careers they deserve that can support their families and support our communities in every corner of this state. Whether you speak out on your social media accounts or call your lawmakers, when we transform our appreciation into support for teachers we protect and strengthen public schools. Teachers go above and beyond for their students every day — even in the face of anti-public education politicians' attacks on their profession and their school. They bring joy and determination to their work to ensure every student — no matter the color of their skin or the ZIP code they live in — has the resources they need to succeed. We know the overwhelming majority of Granite Staters support the teachers at their community public schools, which are attended by nearly 90% of students and 95% of students with a disability. Now it's time for us to go above and beyond for teachers and turn our appreciation into actions that will protect our public schools and help teachers get the support and resources they deserve.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State cap on local school spending sparks heated debate
Osborne: School spending cap would arrest 'runaway' local tax hikes Jason Osborne By Kevin Landrigan House Majority Leader Jason Osborne said the New Hampshire Property Tax Relief Act — a state cap on local school spending increases tucked into the proposed House budget — would rescue homeowners 'held hostage by runaway' tax hikes. Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire, said the cap 'ignores the will of the voters' since residents in 17 towns rejected per-pupil spending caps at town and school district meetings last month. The budget is up for a final vote today. (Thursday) While the issue has gotten much less attention in the budget than significant cuts to higher education, the arts, energy and human service programs, both sides agree the proposal, if adopted, could have the biggest impact on budgets at the local level. 'The Property Tax Protection Act is the heart of this budget,' House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, said in a recent statement that adjusted the bill's branding a bit. 'It will ensure municipalities stay fiscally responsible, curb runaway budgets, and protect Granite Staters from tax hikes — without cutting essential services.' If signed into law, the cap would limit school budget spending to the previous year, minus what's been spent on facility purchase and construction, times the five-year average of the U.S. Consumer Price Index. To go above that school spending cap would require a two-thirds vote of a city council or voters at town or school district meeting. Tuttle said all voters presented with this concept have rejected it. In March alone, school voters turned down such budget-cap warrant articles in Bedford, ConVal, Epping, Epsom, Greenland, Haverhill, Hollis, Salem, Thornton and Weare. 'As taxpayers, educators understand the frustration with the rise in property taxes — and we feel it, too,' Tuttle said. 'But putting arbitrary spending caps on our local school budgets is not the way to address a funding crisis created by the state's failure to fully fund an adequate education.' Critics point out the Legislature just last year adopted a bill allowing residents to propose caps on their school district budgets, which led to last month's votes. In January, Kearsarge Regional School District was one of the first to overwhelmingly reject a budget cap article and Osborne reacted to that news right away. 'Perhaps, if voters are unwilling to cap themselves, the state will step in and cap local taxes for them,' the Auburn Republican said on Jan. 5. The bill (HB 675) as introduced days later, deals with several property tax issues that got pared down to this school spending cap. 'For too long, New Hampshire homeowners have been held hostage by runaway property taxes driven by out-of-control local school and municipal budgets,' Osborne wrote in a recent Union Leader op-ed on the topic. 'Hardworking families who play by the rules, work hard, pay their taxes, and contribute to their communities should not be forced to bankroll unchecked spending by local officials.' Osborne said Democrats accuse Republicans of adopting policies that raise local property taxes, and this is a response. 'It pressures school budgets to stay within responsible limits, discouraging the never-ending tax hikes that make it harder for families to afford their homes. With the Property Tax Relief Act in place, local school budgets will be challenged to exercise fiscal discipline, ensuring that future generations don't have to bear the burden of today's overspending,' Osborne wrote. Backers note the cap can also be overridden in case of emergency by using an existing state law. Getting the proposal this far has been no easy task. Despite the House GOP majority, the bill faced a major scare last month when a Democrat's move to table it barely failed, 189-187. Then the bill narrowly won initial approval on a roll call vote, 190-185. Packard sent the bill to the House Finance Committee, which decided to retain the separate legislation until next year and instead tuck the proposal into the state budget's trailer bill (HB 2). Supporters believe having it in the trailer bill increases likelihood it could become part of a final budget compromise. Gov. Kelly Ayotte said she hadn't seen the details. 'I haven't studied the specifics of that. I certainly believe in local control, but I also think it is important that local officials protect taxpayers at the local level,' Ayotte said. Estimated cap: 4.1% The nonpartisan Reaching Higher NH is the only group to have done an analysis on its impact. It concludes the maximum budget increase for 2026, based on the five-year Consumer Price Index average increase, is 4.1%. According to this study, the relevant spending on schools minus facilities could go up by these amounts in some sample communities: • Manchester: $78.4 million this year to $81.6 million in 2026 and $84.9 million in 2027. • Nashua: $54.8 million to $57.1 million in 2026 and $59.4 million in 2027. • Bedford: $55.2 million to $57.5 million in 2026 and $59.9 million in 2027. • Londonderry: $62.8 million to $65.4 million in 2026 and $68 million in 2027. • Rochester: $35.4 million to $36.8 million in 2026 and $38.3 million in 2027. • Salem: $49.7 million to $51.8 million in 2026 and $53.9 million in 2027. But the Reaching Higher NH report warns of a bleaker picture. 'The mandated budget cap would actually reduce funding for most school districts, even before accounting for inflation, over the next five years,' it concluded. Critics warn school spending cap would lock in inequities David Luneau Rep. David Luneau, D-Hopkinton, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Funding Committee, said the proposal would perpetuate inequities between property-rich and property-poor towns. 'Great for Waterville Valley spending $36K per student; not so good for Manchester. It's bad for kids and locks in opportunity gaps,' Luneau said. Rep. Dan McGuire, R-Epsom, said while public school enrollment has dropped 11% in the past 30 years, the number of school staff has increased 55%. Spending per pupil in the last decade has gone up 58% over the past decade, topping the 35% inflation rate over the period, McGuire said. Rep. Hope Damon, D-Sunapee, said a spending cap would only be fair if the state wasn't near the bottom in state support for its public schools. 'There may be merit to a cap on school district budgets in the future — but certainly not before we have equitable funding from the state to municipalities so that a student's ZIP Code doesn't determine the adequacy of their education resources,' Damon added. Katherine Blume of Weare supported the idea in her written testimony. 'Everyone is concerned what will happen to their school district if it's the only one around with a budget cap. This bill levels the playing field,' Blume said. Christine Hodsdon of Exeter had the opposite view. 'This kind of extreme legislation is anti-democratic, anti-public education, anti-student and will hurt the nearly 90% of students in New Hampshire who attend their local public school,' Hodsdon added. klandrigan@
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HB 524 would repeal the New Hampshire Vaccine Association. But what does the NHVA actually do?
The NHVA is a nonprofit established by the Legislature in 2002 and is a universal vaccine purchasing program. (Photo courtesy of Executive Office of the Maryland Governor) Next week, House Bill 524 will be heard by the New Hampshire House of Representatives. This bill would repeal and eliminate the New Hampshire Vaccine Association (NHVA), but it is important for our legislators and their constituents to know exactly what this might mean for the children and families of our state. The NHVA is a nonprofit established by the Legislature in 2002 and is a universal vaccine purchasing program. This NHVA does not set vaccine policies or recommendations. Rather, this program allows the state to use a federal, contracted price list when purchasing vaccines. While 'how' and 'for what price' vaccines are purchased by the state may seem like an unimportant detail, the NHVA allows the state to purchase vaccines at the lowest possible cost. This in turn allows Granite State families to get their children vaccinated for free, regardless of insurance coverage or income. Furthermore, the NHVA also saves New Hampshire millions of dollars each year by contributing $24 million annually to the state Department of Health and Human Services for vaccine purchases. When we consider the rising costs of health care, it is no surprise that cost may factor heavily into which elements of care families feel that they can engage with. As a physician, I have encountered many patients who have felt compelled to delay or decline medical care, ration medications, or be otherwise unable to prioritize their health — all due to how much this care may cost. The NHVA, though, has ensured that families in New Hampshire have not needed to choose between purchasing necessities like groceries and the health and future of their children. In projecting what our state might look like without the NHVA, it is important to have this context and this information about what the NHVA is — and what it is not. Eliminating the NHVA would not eliminate vaccines. Instead, it would increase the cost of vaccines for all Granite Staters. This cost would be passed on to physicians and clinics, insurance providers, and most importantly to families who wish to vaccinate their children. The unintended consequences of eliminating the NHVA could be devastating. New Hampshire has been among the top states in terms of percentage of children who have been vaccinated, and the free availability of vaccines due to the NHVA has been an important contributor to this. Without the universal purchasing program of the NHVA, vaccines would no longer be able to be purchased at the lowest possible price. In this scenario, Granite Staters with the lowest incomes would be disproportionately impacted. This would be unconscionable, because all children should be able to be protected against deadly preventable diseases, not just children raised in higher-income households. In the best-case scenario, childhood vaccinations become a privilege for wealthier families. Unfortunately, we are already seeing the worst-case scenario unfold in Texas, where an outbreak of measles, a disease that had once been eliminated in the U.S., has materialized. The Granite State has been a great example of the benefits of removing barriers to care, and the NHVA has been a large part of this success. Eliminating the NHVA would not eliminate vaccines, or even change policies relating to vaccines. This would, however, take the option out of the hands of lower-income families who would otherwise be able to vaccinate their children for free. With so many barriers already making health care hard enough to access, it would be unacceptable to add more barriers in an area where our state has seen success. Thus, it is important to know what the NHVA actually does, and that without them, our children would suffer the most.
