I advocate property tax relief through more state education aid

To The Daily Sun:

After 30 years at the State Department of Education helping legislators with school funding, I understand how state government operates and how to get things done in the House of Representatives. If elected I will be a voice for the people of Plymouth, Holderness, Hebron and the state. My top priority will be property tax relief for those towns that need it most.

The courts have said it’s the constitutional responsibility of the state, not towns, to pay for an “adequate” education, but state aid to districts covers only 21 percent of what districts spend. Federal grants cover 7 percent. Property taxpayers must pay the remaining 72 percent. The portion the state downshifts onto property taxpayers is the highest in the nation.

Charter schools are tuition-free state-funded private schools exempt from nearly all state regulations. Unlike districts, they are not required to hire nurses, guidance counselors and certified teachers. They are not required to provide special education, sports programs or transportation. So why is state aid to charters $7,000 per student and Adequacy Aid to school districts only $3,600 per student? I will introduce a bill to use $7,000 for both.

This will help area towns with high property taxes. For example, it will send $500,000 more each year to Plymouth and Ashland, $900,000 to Campton, and a total of $2 million to five towns in the Newfound district. When the state pays more in aid, property taxpayers pay less.

The state can afford to increase Adequacy Aid. In the fiscal year just ended, revenues from business, and rooms and meals taxes were $160 million higher than the year before. With our strong economy, those revenues will continue to grow.

I will introduce a bill to update the Low-Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program for the first time in 15 years, increasing the maximum rebate from $220 to $400. This will help low-income seniors remain in their homes.

I will also advocate for more state funding for PSU, KSC and UNH, so N.H.’s in-state tuition rates won’t continue to be the highest in the nation.

Only three states do not have a gun-free school zone law: Hawaii, Wyoming and New Hampshire. I will work with others on a bill narrowly focused on school safety. We can craft a law that will make schools safer without impinging on the right to own a gun.

On November 6 vote for Democrats. Our priority is people.

Sallie Fellows

Holderness