CONCORD, N.H.— AFT-NH President Deb Howes released the following statement:
“On Tuesday, Granite State voters sent an unmistakable message to Concord: they want a fundamental shift in how the state of New Hampshire supports our public schools and our students,” said Deb Howes, President of AFT-NH.
“By electing large, pro-public education majorities to the NH House, Senate, and Executive Council, voters demanded a new commitment from state government to support the public schools that provide Granite State students with the opportunity for a robust public education. Many of the candidates our members supported ran on that exact pledge.
“The vote on Question 2 should not be read as a rejection of public education. Rather, it reflects increasing frustration with a school funding system that relies far too heavily on local property taxpayers and provides too little from other state sources. Our current school funding system forces local property taxpayers to shoulder roughly 70 percent of school budgets. Voters in half of Granite State towns told Concord on Tuesday this is unsustainable as they adopted the poorly worded ballot question limiting the local school property tax levy and central office spending.
“The newly elected, pro-public education majorities have critical work ahead. They must ease the burden on local property taxpayers while guaranteeing that every Granite State child receives the robust public education that is their constitutional right. It is time for Governor Kelly Ayotte and the strong incoming majorities in the House and Senate to work together on the changes voters demanded: support for our public schools and property tax relief.
“The large pro-public education majorities elected Tuesday show that voters were certainly not asking for their public schools to be dismantled when necessary costs grow faster than consumer inflation. Instead of forcing our public school students, along with the dedicated teachers, paraeducators, and school staff who support their learning every single day, to pay the price for a broken funding system, the state must finally fix its flawed school funding model.”