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School committee votes to send letter after proposed state budget would cut Manchester adequacy aid
Summary
The Manchester School Committee approved sending a letter to the state committee of conference after recognizing a House/Senate budget provision that could reduce the district’s adequacy funding by an estimated $10.2 million if left unchanged.
The Manchester School Committee voted June 9 to send a letter to the New Hampshire Committee of Conference asking that language in the proposed state budget be reconsidered because it would reduce the district’s adequacy funding.
Committee members said provisions in the budget bill passed by the House and Senate would cap targeted aid for school districts of a certain size and noted that, as drafted, the provision would disproportionately affect Manchester. A board member summarized the district’s estimate: "the 10,200,000.0 is the estimate ... how much our adequacy funding would be decreased by if the budget passes in its current form." The board approved moving the draft letter to the committee of conference so the district’s concerns are on record.
Why it matters: board members said a cut on this scale would significantly affect Manchester’s schools and urged attention from local leaders and legislators during the conference process, which staff said would meet this week. The committee asked staff to send the drafted letter promptly to the committee of conference and to continue tracking state budget developments.
Action taken: committee approved a motion to send the letter to the State House/committee of conference. The chair called the voice vote and the motion passed.
Next steps: district staff and board members said they will continue outreach to state officials and update the board as the committee of conference considers the budget language.
