As you know, Governor Sununu vetoed the legislature’s budget, and the State is now operating under a “continuing resolution,” meaning that last year’s budget remains in effect.  If a new budget is not approved before September 30 (and there’s no indication it will be), the continuing resolution is likely to be extended another 90 days, through December.  

This means that school districts that receive stabilization funds as part of their grant from the State may have to begin budgeting for the 2020/21 school year with yet another 4% cut in those funds, above and beyond the 4% cut they already absorbed this year because of the Governor’s veto.  This is a travesty when the legislature’s budget not only eliminated this year’s cut and future cuts, but also rolled back the similar 4% cuts of prior years and added significant amounts of new school aid for struggling districts. 
 

What to do?  

Please help our elected officials understand that the uncertainties created by the budget impasse have real and damaging  consequences and that an immediate resolution is critical.  Attend the hearing on the effect of the budget impasse on education.

Thursday 8/29 
House/Senate Ad Hoc Budget Committee

9:15 a.m. – visibility (holding signs) on State House Lawn (this is a change in time and place since the last newsletter)

10:00 a.m. – public hearing in the Legislative Office Building, Rooms 210-211, 33 N State Street, Concord, NH. 

In addition to a big crowd at the visibility action, we’re hoping for lots of testimony from property taxpayers, business owners, school officials, students, parents and other members of the community who care about fair school funding and property taxpayer relief.  

For more detailed information about the budget, the veto, additional actions to take and possible talking points, see last week’s newsletter (“Budget Hearing 8/29: Speak Up for Students, Property Taxpayers and Local Businesses!”), which you can find on this site.