AFT-NH Responds to Education Funding Superior Court Decision
CONCORD, N.H.— Today, the Rockingham Country Superior Court ruled that the state’s funding of education is unconstitutional. The court also ruled that towns are no longer able to keep their excess SWEPT. AFT-NH President Deb Howes released the following statement:
“The court’s ruling today re-affirms what we have been saying for years, the state funding of our neighborhood public schools is inadequate and unconstitutional. The continued underfunding of our schools deprives many Granite State public school students of enough expert teachers to give them the individual attention they deserve, the help of skilled, caring paraeducators to support their learning and the counselors and social workers to help students navigate the many other challenges that can get in the way of learning. This chronic underfunding has left many public school children with a less robust public education due to their zip code and left so many Granite State children behind their peers. The Judge has set a minimum for funding the state must achieve in each of its public district schools, but that is just the minimum. The state should meet that minimum and then exceed it to ensure that each and every public school student in the Granite State receives the excellent education that they deserve.”