Newfound voters to consider new assessment formula

BRISTOL — A 60-year-old formula for determining what each town in the Newfound Area School District pays would change if voters approve a petitioned article this year.

The article is among the items on the Newfound Area School District warrant that will be discussed at the February 5 deliberative session.

The existing formula was determined when the seven towns came together to form the cooperative school district in 1962. It provides that all expenses except for those associated with transportation will be apportioned to the towns based upon average daily attendance, while transportation costs are apportioned according to each town’s utilization of bus services.

Under the proposed formula, all of the district’s operational and capital outlay costs would be apportioned in two ways: Half of the costs would a billed on the basis of equalized valuation, while the other half would be billed based on average daily attendance.

It is not the first time proposals to change the formula have been brought forward, but previous attempts have failed, largely due to opposition from the communities that would see their tax rates increase.

The current proposal would reduce the tax impact to Alexandria, Bristol, Danbury, and New Hampton, while increasing costs to Bridgewater, Groton, and Hebron. Bridgewater would be hit the hardest, based on the 2020-21 ADM figures, seeing its assessment increase by $1,486,764. Hebron’s assessment would increase by $1,104,846, and Groton’s would increase by $179,628.

Alexandria would see the biggest benefit from the change, with its assessment dropping by $831,637. Bristol’s decrease would be $694,161; Danbury’s $668,686; and New Hampton’s $576,753.

Complicating the discussion is the fact that the two communities that would be hardest-hit are the ones that took it upon themselves to build a school when it became apparent that the district as a whole would never approve a new building project. Bridgewater and Hebron came together to purchase land and build a $6,500,000 elementary school in 1998-1999, agreeing to lease the building to the school district for $1 per year. In return, the school district provided the teaching staff which, in fiscal year 2021 amounted to $2,157,648.

The agreement stipulates that either party can terminate the agreement if the funding formula is altered. However, RSA 195:25 requires a feasibility study, leading to a recommendation to the school board, and then the development of a withdrawal plan that has to be approved by the State Board of Education. If the state board approves the plan, it then would go before the voters to decide whether to allow the withdrawal.

Newfound’s deliberative session is scheduled at Newfound Regional High School on Saturday, February 5, at 10 a.m.