Steve Fay: Contact NH Sen. Tim Lang to vote no on HB 1815, SB 695

To The Daily Sun,

New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang heard substantial and significant public comments last week on HB 1815 and SB 695. These legislative bills are about funding public schools in NH. Four hours of public comment was given and over 1,000 Granite Stater's signed in opposition to these pieces of legislation. The in-person commenters gave very significant and well-informed remarks from persons very knowledgeable on the details of the bills. In no case do these identical bills lower property taxes, in fact they may raise local property taxes. In addition, they propose to change the relationship between the state and localities. The bills are cast as clarifications but instead choose to ignore important court rulings about the state's responsibilities to fund public schools, they seem to re-define “an adequate reduction,” to name two aspects of the bills.

If readers believe an adequate public education is important, then they should email Sen. Lang before the vote of the Legislature occurs this Thursday, and demand he vote “no” on the legislation. I understand something like 1,000 comments against the bill were received by the senator.

Steve Fay

Laconia