Establishes new state standards defining a constitutionally adequate education, increases funding costs for staffing and programs, requires districts to address outcome disparities, and creates a commission to study alternatives to property-tax school funding.
relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.
HB1799 would update New Hampshire's per-pupil cost formula for public school "adequacy" funding and increase the state's share of school funding, following 2025 Supreme Court rulings in the ConVal and Rand cases that found the state's current funding scheme inadequate and unconstitutional. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support, with submitters citing rising and unsustainable local property taxes, unequal funding between property-wealthy and property-poor towns, and the state's constitutional obligation to fund an adequate education. A small number of opponents argued the bill does not create a genuinely sustainable non-property-tax revenue source, that more spending will not lower taxes, or that it imposes a funding mandate without constitutional grounding.
Submitters argue that reliance on local property taxes to fund schools is unsustainable and increasingly unaffordable, and that state funding under HB1799 would provide meaningful property tax relief.
“The tax burden for schools, especially in small towns like Rindge, has become unmanageable. My tax bill has DOUBLED since moving back to Rindge 9 years ago.... with no additional services. We simply cannot afford this anymore.”
— SHARON MONTOUR, Rindge · #547388 — read full submission →
“It is unbelievable that New Hampshire has one of the lowest rates of education funding by the state in the country, and this needs to change.”
— Mary Wiley, Rindge · #546587 — read full submission →
“As a retired citizen and property owner, I pay 10,000$ a year on property taxes. This cost is a burden.”
— Donna Baker-Hartwell, East Andover · #550256 — read full submission →
Many submissions express general support for the bill and its goal of ensuring public schools are adequately funded, without elaborating on a specific mechanism or grievance.
“Supporting public education funding is an investment in the future of the State of NH, and the United States. Educated citizens strengthen New Hampshire, our future workforce, businesses and our economy.”
— Debra Bowie, Keene · #542646 — read full submission →
“As an educator, I am deeply concerned about the state of funding for our public schools. Ensuring adequate funding for public schools ensures a health education for ALL New Hampshire youth.”
— Nicole Gugliucci, Manchester · #543697 — read full submission →
“State funding is crucial for schools to operate properly. We are talking about the future of this country. what could be more important than that?”
— Julie Robidoux, Hudson · #549730 — read full submission →
Submitters point to the 2025 ConVal and Rand Supreme Court rulings as establishing that the state has failed its constitutional obligation to fund an adequate education, and argue HB1799 is a necessary response.
“The New Hampshire Supreme Court has been clear that the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to fund an adequate education. This is not a political debate.”
— Megan Adams, Atkinson · #548318 — read full submission →
“Those rulings made clear that the State must correct long-standing deficiencies in its public education funding system and meet its constitutional obligation to provide every child with the opportunity for an adequate education.”
— Allison Maher, Rindge · #545073 — read full submission →
“The Courts, a co-equal branch of government, has determined several times that the Legislature is not providing an equal opportunity for education to all of the children of New Hampshire.”
— Deborah Sawyer, Troy · #543950 — read full submission →
Submitters argue that dependence on local property taxes produces large disparities in resources between wealthier and poorer towns, so a child's educational quality depends on where they happen to live.
“This has created a system of "haves" and "have-nots," where a student's educational quality is determined by the property wealth of their community.”
— Paul Allen-Webber, Jaffrey · #544524 — read full submission →
“the system is so over-reliant on local property taxes that it amounts to socioeconomic segregation, where students in property-rich communities receive more resources and support than students from property-poor communities.”
— Anne Whitney, Rindge · #548352 — read full submission →
“Now is the time to begin following the constitution and provide an adequate education for all students, regardless of zip code.”
— Mary Lincoln, Londonderry · #542256 — read full submission →
Submitters describe seniors and other residents on fixed incomes being taxed out of their homes by rising school property taxes and argue state funding would relieve this specific hardship.
“To the point many seniors and young homeowners will have to sell our homes for lack of funds for rising school taxes.”
— Deborah Hussey, Atkinson · #548641 — read full submission →
“Elderly people are being taxed out of their homes after years of paying mortgages.”
— Ruby Moore, Jaffrey · #547041 — read full submission →
“Many seniors are losing their homes because they can't afford the taxes - and they have already paid their fair share into the school system.”
— Heather Gollnick, Goffstown · #544995 — read full submission →
Some submitters specifically endorse structural provisions of the bill, such as updated per-pupil cost factors, a funding oversight commission, and directing statewide property tax (SWEPT) revenue into the Education Trust Fund.
“The bill updates the definition of an "adequate education" to include essential services that are currently underfunded or ignored, such as school nurses, mental health counselors, transportation, and modern technology.”
— Paul Allen-Webber, Jaffrey · #544524 — read full submission →
“HB 1799 would increase state adequacy funding, address persistent achievement gaps, explore long-term revenue options beyond property taxes, and ensure SWEPT revenue goes directly into the Education Trust Fund.”
— Jaime Hutchinson, Jaffrey · #546754 — read full submission →
“By updating per-pupil cost factors, HB1799 takes a meaningful step toward closing the gap between what education actually costs and what the state currently provides.”
— Alicia Stenersen, Jaffrey · #545828 — read full submission →
Submitters argue that Education Freedom Account (EFA) vouchers, which largely fund private and religious school tuition, divert resources away from public schools that remain underfunded.
“The Legislature has seen fit to create and fund EFA accounts, the majority of which support religious schools, but has not adequately funded public education.”
— Deborah Sawyer, Troy · #543950 — read full submission →
“We have already taken money from public education to offer vouchers, which I vehemently oppose, and we owe ia good education to all of our NH children, not just the privileged.”
— Susan Nelson, Westmoreland · #543278 — read full submission →
“Local taxes are funding FAR too much of our schools and families are struggling, especially with vouchers taking funding away from public schools.”
— Angela Johnson, Rindge · #547308 — read full submission →
An opponent argues the bill adjusts the adequacy funding formula without establishing a new, sustainable statewide revenue structure, so property-poor towns and middle-income homeowners would continue shouldering the same disproportionate burden.
An opponent argues that increasing state education spending will not reduce the overall tax burden, and that controlling spending is the only real way to lower taxes.
An opponent questions who gets to define an "adequate education" and argues the bill amounts to a mandated tax that is not authorized by the New Hampshire Constitution.
Generated by claude-sonnet-5 (claude code agent) on Jul 22, 2026. Quotes are verbatim excerpts, verified against the cited submission before publication. Summaries are AI interpretation of the record, not part of it.
I support this bill because I think our children's education is important and the state is failing to fulfill its obligation to properly define what a good education means financially and how to budget for at a level that doesn't leave the taxpayers picking up the slack.
Goodness gracious! A bill that makes sense! As a school board member, I support this bill as it actually DOES attempt to do something about adequacy funding and the over reliance on property taxes
I strongly support this bill. We have a responsibility to fully fund public education in New Hampshire. This commitment was enshrined in our NH Constitution in 1784 and should be a priority of our legislature. In addition to a fairer model of funding, this bill will ultimately lower the burden of funding schools through property taxes. Please support this bill.
Public Education is supposed to be funded by the state and is not adequately funded in NH. As a retired citizen and property owner, I pay 10,000$ a year on property taxes. This cost is a burden. It is high time that NH accepts a tax- income tax for people making over 150,000$ a year and/or a luxury tax on recreational vehicles and non necessary purchases. I support this bill. Our schools need to be funded!
Follow the law and NH court decisions regarding adequate education funding!
Please support HB1799. As a former educator and long-term resident of New Hampshire I request that your body discuss adequate education and then fund it so that property tax owners can receive relief from high property taxes to support schools..
Please fund our children's education.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s school funding system is unconstitutional because the state is not providing enough funding for an adequate education. We all understand that local property taxpayers currently shoulder most of the burden of funding our schools. But instead of blaming schools, school boards, or educators, and instead of cutting funding, we should be focused on fixing the root cause: the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation. When the state underfunds education, towns are forced to make up the difference. That is the real problem. HB 1799 is a step toward addressing this. The bill responds to the court ruling by updating how an “adequate education” is defined and requiring the state to seriously evaluate what it actually costs to educate students today. It also acknowledges that overreliance on local property taxes is unsustainable and inequitable across communities.
I support this bill because: -:HB 1799 balances the educational needs of the individual child with the ability of the child’s municipality to meet those needs. -HB 1799 clearly identifies most of these needs, and just as clearly specifies how the State of New Hampshire will assist municipalities large and small, rich and poor, in developing concrete components for the education of all its children, and in paying for those elements. -In addition, HB 1799 sets up an Adequate Education Funding Commission to implement its recommendations.. Thank you, for your attention, Tony Scholl
We are an aging state with a need for young people. If we want to keep families with children in NH, we need to adequately fund education. This bill is a step in the right direction. Please suppprt this bill.
Reliance on property taxes to fund public education is unsustainable. Tax payers demand appropriate funding for public schools! NH has had an antiquated school funding system for too long.
For over 30 years, while living in Pittsfield, I have remained close to the education funding situation. 30 years is too long for your group to not solve this issue. Taxpayers in New Hampshire are suffering and so are our students. You know the details I won't labor it. Please I beg of you Make the necessary corrections so schools can be funded equally adequately and fairly and the burden can be removed from the property taxpayers of New Hampshire. Thank you.
State funding is crucial for schools to operate properly. We are talking about the future of this country. what could be more important than that?
It is our duty to properly fund the public schools in NH. The burden should not be solely on the property owners to fund public education through their property taxes.
The state does not have an option, they need to find a way to fund schooling adequately. This bill helps us down the path of taking the responsibility of paying for schools largely through property taxes (inequitable) and to the State. It's not sustainable to rely entirely on property taxes.
I am in support of this bill because the party in change cannot continue to placate gaps in funding by increasing our property taxes instead of increasing taxes on corporations. I am a resident who chooses to send my children to private school and I pay out of pocket for this choice and believe those who can afford to should do the same instead of increasing our property taxes.
I have worked in public school districts in southern New Hampshire for over 10 years and have seen first hand the difficult decisions that have to be made when finding runs short, and those decisions always take something away from the children. The state does not provide anywhere near enough funding per student to what it actually costs to support those students today, and the results are crushing property taxes on homeowners to try and make up the difference and students who don't have the support they need because towns can't afford to provide it. The state needs to do better and provide proper funding to support the next generation so that they can be successful.
Fund our public schools adequately, as required by court order. This will only help build a better future for ALL in NH. This would align with NH values. The current system is bankrupting our schools, leaving far too many students under-prepared for life after high school, making it harder and harder for people to afford their homes, as property taxes continue to rise. These are not NH values.
As a teacher in several different school districts in NH, I have seen how the economics of differing communities impacts public schools. The playing field needs to be leveled so that all children have access to quality buildings, staff, and programs. The state budget should be funding our public schools.
As a school board representative for the town of Rindge I have seen firsthand how NH's failure to provide constitutionally adequate funding and refusal to comply with judicial direction has hurt our community. It has pitted neighbors against each other and forced us to choose between our must vulnerable residents- children and seniors. All the while our Representatives in Concord refuse to take accountability and instead shift the blame to the local school board members. I 100% support HB 1799 and urge our NH Representatives to take this positive step forward for fair education funding and property tax relief.
I support this bill as it reduces tax burden on my town
We need the state to provide adequate funding for adequate education.
Please support 1799 and have a thorough study completed on what the real cost is to fund an adequate education for NH children in public schools, and how NH can fund this at a state level to ensure equity in education and funding. We must stop the unsustainable practice of pushing costs onto property taxes, as this causes inequity. The state has many more opportunities for revenue than towns, especially small ones, and has an obligation to fund an adequate education for students, per our constitution and court rulings. It also has an obligation to pay into the retirement system, which it has not been doing. The majority of parents in NH choose public schools to educate their children, and children with special needs only have the option of public schools. Our schools must be adequately funded for all to have equitable opportunities to learn alongside their peers and become engaged members of our NH community. Our students also deserve to learn in schools that have been maintained and are safe. Instead of pointing random fingers at different districts, administrators, and school boards, let's do the intelligent thing and study the real costs of equitable education in NH, how rising costs are affecting districts, and what the state needs to raise in order to fulfill its bligation to its residents. Thank you.
The cost of education needs to be adequately funded by the state. This is to ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to receive an education and that the burden of cost doesn’t come down to each individual towns.
I live in Farmington and am running for school board here to try to help manage that the situation the state has put us in. Our Title 1 school is being left to fend for itself without the means to offer a reasonable wage, without the tools to manage a shoestring budget, and hesitant to raise funding because of the pressure it puts on our residents on a fixed income. This isn't okay. Drive to a rural area and see the impact of the current funding setup.