Nora Foster: Public education is tearing all NH communities apart

To The Daily Sun,

New Hampshire has a public education funding crisis, and it isn't happening by accident. For years, the state has knowingly shifted the cost of public education onto property owners, and the consequences are tearing communities apart.

Over 70% of New Hampshire public school funding comes from property taxes — one of the highest rates in the country. As the costs of special education, transportation, health care, and basic operations keep rising, the burden falls squarely on local taxpayers. Neighbors who once showed support for their local schools are now angry, voting down teacher contracts, building repairs, and operating budgets.

Rather than answer for the state's failure to fund education fairly, certain lawmakers find it easier to accuse local school districts of wasteful spending and bloated administrations. For taxpayers already stretched thin, these are convenient explanations — and far easier to accept than attending a school board meeting and asking where the money actually goes.

The truth is that many of NH's poorest districts aren't wasting anything. They're fighting to keep the lights on, cutting field trips, college prep, and sports, while watching experienced teachers leave for better pay elsewhere.

And now, the state is spending your tax dollars to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the very rulings that established its constitutional obligation to fund an adequate education.

Solutions? The state could eliminate the Education Freedom Account program, which funnels millions in public dollars to private and religious schools. It could incentivize rural districts to consolidate, creating cost-efficiencies. It could introduce a modest, broad-based sales tax to create a stable funding source. Something — anything — is better than doing nothing while blaming the schools.

Contact a state representative today and demand real solutions to fix a broken system, not tear our communities apart.

Nora Foster

New Hampton