HB603

I live in a small town with almost no commercial tax base. I support increasing the adequacy grant for pupils receiving special education services. This is our duty as a society.

I live in a small town with almost no commercial tax base. I support increasing the adequacy grant for pupils receiving special education services. This is our duty as a society.

i support increasing the adequacy grant for pupils receiving special education services. currently in our district we are seeing a funding cut specifically in special education. Teachers need paras, without paras and special education funding, Teachers cannot teach. Learning is curved and testing scores across the classroom is reduced. without adequate special education funding- the school then fails as a whole. The funding for adequacy is currently not adequate based off US census and Medicaid numbers. The formula uses ADM and % FR for funding, In a point in time representation, schools are not accurately funded and budgets are cut, teachers not paid adequately, taxes raising, and children are not learning. In our district, we do not have capacity due to the low rate of pay in relation to need. Cost of Living is increasing, and finding good teachers and paras is hard in this time. WIth out the funding, our schools , our children and our future are steps behind in their learning and their ability to learn. Please vote ought to pass on HB 603

Dear Comittee, I want to express my support for HB 603 . As a taxpayer and parent of a special needs person, this bill is extremely important in supporting our disabled students. This bill increases the funding schools receive for students who need additional support, raising it from $2,300 to $29,556 per student. As you are aware, students with learning needs and disabilities require specialized resources, trained educators, and appropriate accommodations to ensure they receive a quality education. Unfortunately, many schools continue to struggle with inadequate funding, leaving these students without the necessary support to thrive academically and socially. Investing in special education is not just a moral imperative—it is an economic and societal necessity. By providing students with disabilities the tools they need to succeed early in life, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of future challenges, including unemployment, homelessness, addiction, and reliance on public assistance. Education is the foundation for independence, and without proper support, students with disabilities are at a higher risk of facing long-term hardships. Increased funding would allow schools to: * Help towns keep up with the costs of providing a fair and equal education for all. * Hire and retain qualified special education teachers and support staff. * Provide early intervention services to address learning difficulties before they become more severe. * Ensure access to assistive technologies that empower students to overcome learning barriers. * Offer individualized support to help students transition into higher education or the workforce. Supporting special education is an investment in our future workforce and the well-being of our communities. I urge you to prioritize increased funding to ensure that every student, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Thank you for your time and commitment to our students. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further and explore solutions that benefit all learners. Thank you for your consideration, Ann Sanok Exeter, NH

I am in support of more funding for students who need extra help because no parent should be told there are no resources for their child’s education needs.

Hello, I am a mom of three children (Paisley is 14, MacCoy is 11, & Murdock is 8) and they all attend school in the Barrington NH district. I am writing to support this bill. This funding is essential for: Making sure schools have what they need to support every student. Helping towns keep up with the costs of providing a fair and equal education for all. Thank you, Heather

This bill acknowledges special education involves signficantly greater costs than the state has previously acknowledged. Anyone who thinks the state's share of adequate special education funding is $2,100 is totally disconnected with reality. Local property tax payers need for the state to step up to its constitutional responsibilities and stop passing the buck to the local property tax payers!!!! Be responsible leaders!

I strongly support HB 742 and HB 603, both are essential for improving the funding of special education services in our state. Towns are being crushed by the costs of special education, especially small towns like Mason where last year one student required $100,000 worth of special education services. Another student of similar needs could bankrupt the town. Public education is strongly supported in Mason, our elementary school is tops in the state. But special education needs can wildly inflate the budget. With less than 2,000 population, Mason lacks the tax base to absorb huge cost increases. State special education funding assistance is vital. The current funding doesn't adequately cover the costs of providing special education in our public schools, placing a heavy burden on school districts and local taxpayers. By removing the arbitrary, prorated cap on reimbursements for special education aid, HB 742 will help ensure that school districts are reimbursed for providing services. The Education Trust Fund, which is partly funded by the tobacco settlement with about $40,000,000/year (see RSA 198:39) would have enough money to send more than 17% of the cost of special education to the towns. Special education funding should receive higher priority for Education Trust Funds than the Education Freedom Accounts, two-thirds of which are awarded to pupils already attending private schools. Private schools rarely take on students needing special education, so it's mainly up to the public schools to provide these services. Over 30,000 students received special education services last year in our public schools. HB 603's proposal to increase the adequacy grant for pupils receiving special education services will provide some relief for hard-pressed local taxpayers. As a taxpayer concerned about education, I strongly support increasing special education funding to the towns. Thank you for your consideration, Liz Fletcher

This bill would ncrease the payments the State makes to school districts on behalf of students with educational disabilities to the actual average extra cost to schools, thus sharing this financial responsibility across the state. Yes, it is expensive, but the IDEA requires these children receive services, and the fairest way to fund that is to spread the cost across the State, rather than leaving the burden on individual communities.

Different districts have different numbers of special education students. Special education is a major expense that should be spread across the state, not borne by districts who happen to have those students.

My name is Sean Parr and I am on the Manchester School Board where I Chair the Education Legislation Committee. Today I am speaking on behalf of the Manchester School Board, which has authorized me to advocate for fully funding education in NH. We support the increased adequate education funding for students receiving special education services, as stated in HB603. Fully funding education in NH is desperately needed. Thank you for your consideration. Sean Parr, PhD Manchester Board of School Committee, Ward 2 Chair, Education Legislation Committee

As a former special education student myself, I can't tell you how important it is for these students to get extra funding. The funding helped my para-professionals do their jobs to help me be the best version of myself I could possibly be - I've said this a million times to anyone who will listen, but if it hadn't been for special education, I wouldn't be where I am - a small business owner that's thriving because of all the tools and support that I've gotten over the course of my life. I can promise you the same thing applies to anyone else who's been through special education. Though I digress, I'm the first to admit that my parents and I were lucky in our particular district, and I don't take it for granted. Not everyone else is as lucky as I was. They deserve the same privileges and I resources my family and I had, no excuses! Please! Take the advice from a woman who's been in these students' shoes once-upon-a-time! Vote yes for all future generations of students with disabilities that need extra funding and help!

This bill increases the payments the State makes to school districts on behalf of students with educational disabilities to the actual average extra cost to schools, thus sharing this financial responsibility across the state. Special ed is too expensive for school districts alone.

I am a property owner in my 70s, still working, and this year my property taxes have increased by thousands of dollars due to the state of New Hampshire not adequately funding public education. Local towns and cities rely on state funding from the educational fund, but state legislators have allowed the voucher program to drain the support that New Hampshire could provide for public education. This bill is designed to support local towns and cities property owners and renters who bear the burden of educating our children. It is essential that the New Hampshire education system becomes equitable. Please support HP 603

The State needs to increase payments to school districts to pay for the students with education disabilities to meet the actual costs for these students. This would more evenly spread the financial costs across the state.

This bill is important to bring NH education up to par with other states and countries. Well-funded education creates more opportunities for all students and teachers.

YES, I support spreading the cost for special education.

As a long time resident of NH, I am getting very tired of legislators not supporting public education and shirking their responsibilities. This bill starts to show there is some seriousness in supporting educating funding and accountability.

We as a state, are not fulfilling our constitutional duty to grant an adequate education for our students. We are leaving the burden of education on homeowners. I am not against taxation as it is how government is. However, I am against using funds meant for one thing to go to another and I believe education is the most important thing we can do for our children and the future of this state. As such we need to fund it adequately and make sure our students a.k.a. “our future” has a strong education. Public school is a foundation for our state and our country and we need to make sure that we protect it at all costs. We need to fund our education adequately.

I strongly support this bill.

Support all special Ed and school funding

I support this bill because it increases the payments the State makes to school districts on behalf of students with educational disabilities from $2,100 to $29,556 per student, the actual average extra cost to schools, thus sharing this financial responsibility across the state.

Dear House Judiciary Committee members, I am opposed to bill HB476 that would further restrict abortion, reproductive healthcare, in New Hampshire. As you may know, 78% of New Hampshire citizens believe there should be a right to get an abortion, in every state of the U.S. Also, the great majority - I believe it is 68% - of us here in New Hampshire oppose a 15-week abortion ban. Therefore, your opposition to this bill would be representing the will of the people you represent. On a personal note, my niece was able to obtain an abortion after a rape that she would never have been able to prove, before Roe V. Wade was overturned. She went on to have to beautiful healthy boys. I believe all women and families should have that opportunity. Please oppose HB476 and support the health and welfare of New Hampshire families. Thank you for your service to the people of our State.

Please pass HB603. I live in Concord, and our community struggles to pay for students' needs. It's time for the state to pick up its fair share of the total cost of an "adequate" education for New Hampshire's students. Thank you.