Newfields budget discussion highlights health‑insurance concerns and plan for public hearing

The Newfields School Board and its budget advisory committee reviewed the draft district budget and discussed major cost drivers, with health insurance identified as the largest expense. Staff explained that grant appropriations (GRAMA) will be moved from the SAU budget into district budgets and that grant revenue equals expense, so grants themselves do not raise taxes.

Members and budget advisory representatives described the pressure on local taxpayers under New Hampshire’s funding structure, citing the Claremont litigation and the state’s adequacy debate. One speaker presented per‑pupil state allocation figures and commented on the gap between what the state provides and what the courts have described as adequate.

A prolonged discussion focused on rising employee health‑insurance costs: the meeting quoted an annual family‑plan total cost benchmark (speaker-cited $47,054) and noted that the district currently pays roughly $37,600 per family plan while employees contribute about 20%. Board members and staff said they will convene SAU association leaders in January and consider whether a joint RFP or brokered process could yield better pricing or different plan options across the SAU. Participants stressed that plan selection and contribution percentages are ultimately part of collective‑bargaining negotiations and require coordination with the teacher and paraprofessional associations.

The board moved to bring the proposed budget forward to the public hearing and accepted the budget advisory committee’s recommendation to present the draft as-is; the board discussed scheduling to ensure the bond hearing, public hearing and board meeting align with statutory deadlines for a March vote.