Law & Courts

Accountability Measure in N.H. Ends 18-Year-Old Financing Suit

By Debra Viadero — August 24, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Granite State lawmakers in this year’s recently concluded session passed a school accountability measure that ends an 18-year-old lawsuit over how the state pays for schools.

The bill, signed into law July 18 by Gov. John H. Lynch, requires schools to prove that they’re meeting state academic standards. It addresses the last of four requirements issued by the state Supreme Court in response to the long-running Claremont v. Governor lawsuit, which was originally filed in 1991 by five “property poor” jurisdictions. The court said the state, besides holding schools accountable, must define what it considers an “adequate education” under its constitution, price it, and figure out an equitable formula to pay for it.

Difficult budget issues also dominated the legislative session, which ended in June. Despite facing a projected deficit of $500 million to $600 million, lawmakers agreed to spare education from some of the deepest cuts.

Republican
Senate:
14 Democrats
10 Republicans
House:
222 Democrats
174 Republicans
Enrollment:
197,956 (fall 2008)

Under the state’s total $11.6 billion budget for the 2010-11 biennium, schools will receive $967 million—a $20 million decrease from the previous biennium, according to the state budget office. That amount will be buoyed, however, by an infusion of $160 million from New Hampshire’s share of federal economic-stimulus funds, according to budget officials.

That means direct state aid to school districts—at $890 million over two years—will continue to be fully funded under the state’s relatively new school funding formula.

Charter schools, which have been struggling to gain a toehold in New Hampshire, also are to be included in the state-aid payouts.

The education areas that suffered budget cuts include catastrophic aid for special education, which is used to offset the expense of court-ordered placements in private schools for students who are severely disabled, and state contributions to local teacher-retirement costs. That change also applies to contributions for police- and fire-personnel pensions.

The New Hampshire School Boards Association and other groups are debating whether to protest the retirement-system changes in court.

A version of this article appeared in the August 26, 2009 edition of Education Week as Accountability Measure in N.H. Ends 18-Year-Old Financing Suit

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Law & Courts Opinion How the Supreme Court Is Making Public Education Itself Unconstitutional
In a recent ruling, the high court took a step toward effectively outlawing public schools.
Johann Neem
5 min read
Photo illustration of Supreme Court building and U.S. Constitution.
Education Week + Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh State Laws Barring Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up transgender sports laws from Idaho and West Virginia, among the 27 states that have such laws.
5 min read
This artist sketch depicts Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025.
An artist sketch depicting Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025. The Supreme Court on July 3, 2025, announced it will hear cases challenging Idaho and West Virginia laws that bar transgender students from participating in girls’ or women’s school sports, stepping into a high-profile legal battle over transgender rights in schools.
Dana Verkouteren via AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs Fla. Law Barring Transgender Teacher's Use of Her Pronouns
A federal court upheld Florida’s ban on K-12 teachers using pronouns that differ from their sex assigned at birth when speaking to students.
4 min read
A new billboard welcoming visitors to "Florida: The Sunshine 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' State," is seen on April 21, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Florida's state government and LGBTQ+ advocates have settled a lawsuit challenging a law that bars teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
A billboard welcoming visitors to "Florida: The Sunshine 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' State," is seen on April 21, 2022, in Orlando. The billboard was a commentary by an LGBTQ+ rights group on a controversial law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding the teaching of certain topics. A federal appeals court on July 2 refused to block a related law, one barring teachers from using pronouns or titles that don't match their sex assigned at birth.
John Raoux/AP
Law & Courts 16 States Sue Trump Admin. to Restore Mental Health Grants for Schools
Democratic state officials are challenging the Education Department ending mental health funding, which had passed with bipartisan support.
3 min read
Audience members listen as President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," a law meant to reduce gun violence, on the South Lawn of the White House, July 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Audience members listen as then-President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on the South Lawn of the White House on July 11, 2022. The legislation provided funding for two school mental health grants that the Trump administration terminated in late April. Sixteen states are now suing to restore the funding.
Evan Vucci/AP