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New Hampshire School Boards Association
Legislative Bulletin
January 4, 2013
A Brief Summary of Education Issues at the State House
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NHSBA Pleased To Assist Member School Board In "Quick Fix" Legislation
In a remarkable display of bi-partisan cooperation, the House, Senate and Governor acted quickly Wednesday on Convening Day, passing HB 101 into law. The bill provided a "quick fix" for the Newfound Regional School District. The school district was subject to an unintended interpretation of how to calculate limitations on next year's budget under the new "tax cap statute", which Newfound adopted last year. The problem arose with calculations based on applying a lapsed balance brought forward from last year. NHSBA worked closely with the Newfound Regional School District and several legislators, including Senator Boutin, who sponsored the tax cap legislation in 2011, to help facilitate the passage of this bill. HB 101 applies ONLY to the Newfound district, and ONLY for the FY 2014 budget currently under development. A separate bill seeking a permanent "fix" for this unintended consequence of the tax cap legislation has been filed for the upcoming legislative session. As this bill progresses, we will continue to represent the interests of our membership.
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Governor and Executive Council Sworn In
Thursday's activity focused on the formal ascension to office of Governor Hassan and the five Executive Councilors: Raymond Burton (District 1), Colin Van Ostern (District 2), Christopher Sununu (District 3), Christopher Pappas (District 4), and Debora Pignatelli (District 5). NHSBA was pleased to be in attendance for this significant event, and we look forward to working with the new Governor and Executive Councilors to promote public education in our State.
The Governor's focus will be on developing a state budget, which must be presented to the legislature in mid-February. Then the House will assume formal budget deliberations, sending the House version to the Senate in early April.
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Next Week...
Much legislative activity begins next week. Committees will hear various presentations and briefings, and printed bills will likely appear soon and be assigned to committees where they will be scheduled for hearings. Titles of potential bills cover a broad range of topics, including adequacy aid, building aid, operations within official ballot (SB2) districts, constitutional amendments relative to the state obligation for public education, charter schools, etc. As this information becomes available, NHSBA Bulletins will keep you apprised of developments.
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