AFT-NH: House Budget Deal Appreciated
CONCORD, N.H.—The following is a statement from AFT-New Hampshire President Deb Howes on the New Hampshire House’s budget deal:
“Thank goodness the House approved a deal that rejected several proposals which would have endangered public education funding and raised local property taxes to fund what our public school students need to succeed and thrive. It’s become exhausting as extremist lawmakers try repeatedly to destroy public education with culture-war, pro-privatization education proposals and then, thankfully, the House throws most of them out in the end. Today’s successful House budget deal removes any expansion of school vouchers and changes the education funding formula to put more money in targeted education aid for towns with poor property-tax bases. This means 185 out of 245 districts get more funding to better support student learning. The deal also removed proposed language that would have cut off new employees in the community college system from joining the New Hampshire Retirement System pension plan.
“Not everything was a victory, however. The House also narrowly voted down the proposal to restore the Education Trust Fund as a lockbox for funding public education, as it was intended. That will be a fight with the next budget and the next Legislature.”
For more information, please contact AFT-NH President Deb Howes at president@aft-nh.org.