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Open‑Enrollment Hearing Reveals Legal Uncertainty, Local Concerns over Tuition Burden
Summary
Committee heard extensive testimony on HB 771, the open‑enrollment statute. Witnesses warned a pending New Hampshire Supreme Court case affects the statute's interpretation; school boards and town officials said proposed language could force sending districts to pay tuition without voter approval and create uneven fiscal impacts across districts.
A lengthy hearing on HB 771 drew school administrators, board representatives and residents worried the bill would change how tuition is charged when students attend schools outside their home districts.
Representative Ladd introduced the bill as a modification to the existing open‑enrollment statute that allows a receiving school to accept students from outside a district by parental request and requires the sending district to pay tuition. Testimony and questions focused on the dollar mechanics and a pending legal challenge.
Barrick Christina, executive director of the New Hampshire School Boards Association (NHSBA), urged caution and asked the Legislature…
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