Education Funding

School Finance Law Passage Highlight for N.H. Legislature

By Debra Viadero — July 28, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2007 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.

New Hampshire lawmakers’ biggest accomplishment this year was passing a new school finance law—one that is expected to bring the state into compliance with the state supreme court ruling that declared the old law unconstitutional in 2006.

During the legislative session ending in June, Granite State lawmakers also retooled the state’s public-employee pension system, extended the deadline by which districts have to begin providing kindergarten, and trimmed $30 million out of the state’s biennial budget for 2008 and 2009, including $4 million from the department overseeing K-12 education.

Gov. John Lynch
Democrat
Senate:
14 Democrats
20 Republicans
1 Independent
House:
232 Democrats
159 Republicans
Enrollment:
200,772

The state is midway through its biennial budget of $10.3 billion, which includes $1.96 billion over two years in state aid to schools

After developing the new school funding formula during this year’s session, lawmakers will turn next year to deciding how to pay for it. Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, opposed the school finance measure, and last month let it become law without his signature.

The kindergarten extension means that the handful of districts that still do not have kindergarten programs will have until next year to get those classes up and running. The measure lets those districts contract with private providers for up to four years as they develop their own programs.

The legislature also approved a measure that would let teachers continue to get raises when contract negotiations with towns or districts break down, and another setting up an arbitration route for teachers when a school district decides not to renew their contracts.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in New Hampshire. See data on New Hampshire’s public school system.

A version of this article appeared in the July 30, 2008 edition of Education Week

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
Assessment Webinar
Rethinking STEM Assessment: Strategies for Administrators
School and district leaders will explore strategies to enhance STEM assessment practices across their district, within schools and classrooms.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Federal Webinar Keeping Up with the Trump Administration's Latest K-12 Moves: Subscriber-Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
Artificial Intelligence Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Math & Technology: Finding the Recipe for Student Success
How should we balance AI & math instruction? Join our discussion on preparing future-ready students.

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

Education Funding Principals Urge Ed. Department: Leave School Safety Funding Alone
Schools need access to funds for mental health professionals and other student services, say principals who've experienced school shootings.
5 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens to members of the Principal Recovery Network during their annual meeting on June 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens to members of the Principal Recovery Network during their annual meeting on June 9, 2025, in Washington.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/NASSP
Education Funding Trump Admin. Says California’s K-12 Funding Is at Risk. What Would It Mean?
Title I and IDEA funding could be caught up in the battle between the White House and the largest state, which is led by Democrats.
10 min read
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter during an event signing a bill blocking California's rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter during an event where he signed a resolution blocking California's rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025. Trump's administration has reportedly discussed halting "formula funds" to the state's education department.
Alex Brandon/AP
Education Funding The Trump Budget for K-12 Schools: 5 Key Takeaways
The administration wants to cut roughly $7 billion in annual K-12 funding. Much of it supports vulnerable students.
6 min read
A kindergarten student raises her hand in a dual-language immersion class.
A kindergarten student raises her hand in a dual-language immersion class. Among other changes, President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget would end dedicated federal funding for supplemental services for English learners.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Education Funding Trump Wants to Cut More Than 40 Federal K-12 Programs. See Which Ones
The president's detailed budget, released Friday, proposes eliminating dozens of programs as part of a nearly $13 billion cut.
2 min read
Illustration of a budget sheet, pencil, and calculator.
Maxim Basinski/iStock/Getty