HOUSE PASSES HB 1 AND HB 2: State Budget Reaches 4.7 Billion
On Wednesday, June 29th, the House of Representatives voted approval
for the Senate
version of HB 1 and HB 2—bills that will influence
and control state spending for the next 2 school years (2005-2006
and 2006-2007). For these 2 years our state budget totals $4,644,127,322
and $4,698,375,430 respectively. Almost a 5
BILLION dollar state budget, but the fund for charter schools
was reduced to $1.00. This means no
state grants to augment base per pupil allocations. HB 616 was approved
by the House on 6/15;
within
HB 616 charter school
students were provided $3500 in state funding for 2005-2006 without
direct
pay and without targeted aid for poverty or special education.
This approximates only 33-35% of average public student funding.
Most states are commited to equity for charter school students because
they are still public school students.
There are still options for funding equity: 1)
statutory wording allows the charter school fund to be supplied
by a budget transfer,
2) individual charter schools might file legislation laying out
a formula for reasonable equity, e.g. 80%, and 3) action on charter
school bills from this session could resolve these matters (these
bills are alive in House Education Committee, awaiting review
and action…likely to begin in September).
State
Budget totals show funding at $37.8 million
and $40.7 million for school building aid in the next two years. School
facility expansion could be reduced or contained through support of
the charter public school program. Every available and unused public
school building paid for with public funds should be prioritized
for use as public schools before being used for private enterprise.
The state could encourage districts to address over-enrollment by developing
choice schools that use available buildings, decreasing enrollments
in buildings that are over capacity while providing options
for students.
CHOICE, CHARTER, & OTHER EDUCATION BILLS STILL ALIVE IN COMMITTEE
HB 297 relative to charter schools and HB 664 relative to statewide
open enrollment are alive and pending review in the House Education
Committee, possibly as early as September.
Other education bills held over: HB 606 revising calculation
and distribution of education and special ed funding, HB 614 providing
for state funding
of the statewide average education cost per pupil, HB 646 defining
an adequate education, HB 650 revising education funding and establishing
needs-based matching rants, HB 278 alternative budget procedures
in
school administrative units, HB 258 terms of collective bargaining
agreements in school districts, HB 39 sex education in public schools,
and HB 100, establishing an equity index to provide state education
assistance to municipalities.
Information and links for these bills are provided through our
legislation
page.
DIRECT PAY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire completed
its first year of chartered public schools this June. Overall progress
was remarkable. After clarifications of law, almost all school
districts complied and forwarded state funding. The majority of districts
embraced
the new charter schools. New districts are studying
charter schools. See complete
listing of projects.
Not all schools received all state and federal funding to which
students were entitled, however although the Department of Education
testified it can’t handle sending out state payments
to the few charter schools, direct payment of funds or a direct
payment
bypass (as with Pennsylvania) is likely the only solution to assure
timely, required allocations reach all students. A last-minute
appeal for a direct pay provision did not pass the Committee
of Conference for procedural reasons; however,
HB 297 includes a direct pay provision and is still in committee.
Review
of HB 297 was not concluded this session because review meetings
were not scheduled.
SURRY, NH, LOSES ITS VILLAGE SCHOOL
“It’s an excellent school and you’re taking our community away from
us,” Kathy A. Sportello, a Surry resident, told the board (from Keene
Sentinel, 6.29.05).
Parents say they were assured a year’s notice if the
3-room Surry Village School were to close. Apparently with no
notice Monadnock’s School Board voted to immediately end Surry
Village School
operations. A review of board minutes shows no recent mention of
the school closing, only a ‘northern schools committee’ looking
at facility
recommendations.
Settled in 1764, Surry is a charming community north of Keene, New
Hampshire, but belonging to a School Administrative Unit based
south of Keene. Surry’s 1790 census shows 448 residents and 2003
census
shows 677 residents—over 200 years and the community’s character
has not
much changed. The 3-room schoolhouse is the community’s centerpiece
serving Surry’s K-6 children. Small, multiage groups apparently
have prepared students well for future schooling. But the multi-town
district
school board believed closing the school and bussing the young
children hither and yon was better for Surry children.
The record indicates that there’s a plan for use of Surry’s little
school building, but not for the children
of Surry
who now will be bussed out of town—grades K & 456 in one direction,
and grades 123 in another.
We’re advised that some Surry parents are so alarmed by the closing & bussing
proposal, they are actually leaving town. Small neighborhood
schools are regaining popularity nationwide. Is there a solution?
MISSOURI’s STATE BOARD TAKES OVER A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Just hours ago on June 29th, Missouri’s State Board of Education
took the unprecedented action of taking over the Wellston Public
School
District,
appointing a special three-person board to govern starting Friday.
The district had not met the state’s accreditation standards
for 2 years. Click
here for more information.
EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY DATA & CAREER ACADEMY
The Economic
Impact of the US Horse Industry,
a 2005 study just released, indicates the US horse industry
contributes $39
billion to the US economy and supports 1.4 million jobs
on a full-time basis. Figuring in indirect and induced spending,
the horse industry’s
economic impact reaches $102 billion. Approximately 1.96
million people own horses. By current estimates, 1 out of every
63
Americans
is involved
in the horse industry. With equestrian career opportunities
booming, founders of New Hampshire’s proposed Equestrian
Career Academy hope for State Board approval in August.
MARYLAND APPROVES $6,000 SCHOOL FACILITY
IMPACT FEES
New Hampshire communities are growing. The state’s contribution
to school construction is pushing 40 million/year. Facilities
costs in growth communities --what to do? Hartford County Council
in Maryland has instituted a $6,000 impact fee on new single-family
homes to help pay for school construction. Other
fast-growing counties near Baltimore are imposing impact fees or
excise tax
to help pay for schools and other infrastructure needs associated
with
development. Maryland is also
considering extending its debt
to meet the state's costly facility needs.
Upcoming Broadcasts of our radio show, SCHOOL TALK. Listen
Live: WKXL1450 AM
Wednesdays at 1:07 p.m.
Wednesday, July 6th: A Discussion of School Choice in
New Hampshire
Fergus Cullen, Journalist, & Charlie Arlinghaus, President, Josiah
Bartlett Center for Public Policy, Concord
Wednesday, July 13th: School Choice in Maine & Shared-Border Schools
Judith Jones, Ph.D., Director, Maine Association of Charter Schools
We welcome your suggestions for schools and topics to feature.