Almost 48 years ago my husband and I moved to New Hampshire, settling in 03229 and raising three children in the local school system. The education they received, and which my grandchildren are now experiencing, offered them a strong foundation for success in college and life.

The teachers were competent, often experienced and in many cases inspirational; the core subjects were varied and challenging, and the learning opportunities within and outside of the classroom led to a well-rounded education for a wide variety of learners.

Parents in 03229 were invested in their children’s learning and wanted the best public education for them. More often than not, 03229 offered just that.

Twenty years ago I earned my Ph.D. in Literacy and Learning and moved on from my role as a high school reading specialist, spending the next 15 years in various New Hampshire school districts as a K-12 literacy consultant.

During that time I found myself working in 03263, where I was fortunate to rub shoulders with dedicated teachers, delightful students and committed parents, similar to what I had experienced in 03229. But unlike 03229, 03263 was a property-poor school district, struggling mightily to offer the educational opportunities available in neighboring ZIP codes.

Many teachers were new to the profession, earned a far lower salary than 03229’s and were often determined to move to a better paying district, annually creating a disruptive turnover in the classrooms of 03263.

Due to budgetary concerns Special Education positions often went unfilled, electives were eliminated and Advanced Placement courses were few and far between.

In short, despite the best efforts of committed teachers, administrators and parents, the learning opportunities for these two ZIP codes were remarkably disparate. The ZIP code made all the difference in the public school education a New Hampshire student received.

For decades now it has been clear that New Hampshire has not lived up to its constitutional responsibility of funding an adequate education for every public school student in every ZIP code.

In an effort to at least tackle this disturbing situation, a 2012 state funding formula for public schools has for the past six years offered stabilization grants to districts as a partial means of distributing aid to education.

Currently two-thirds of New Hampshire communities receive such grants. Indeed, for 14 of the property-poor districts these grants make up over half of the “(in)adequacy” funds they receive from the state. But in 2017 an amendment was included in the state budget to decrease the grants by 4 percent each year.

For struggling districts like 03263 this decrease in state aid has further exacerbated their ability to offer an adequate education for their students; and additional cuts in staff, programs and basic services may well be imminent as the annual funding decrease continues.

But legislation currently being considered in the New Hampshire Senate may offer a glimmer of hope to 03263 and its peers.

As introduced by Sen. Jeanne Dietsch, a Peterborough Democrat, Senate Bill 265 maintains the same level of funding for stabilization grants beginning in 2020.

Freezing the grants is a move in the right direction; even better would be an initiative to restore the funds these districts have lost through the last three years of cuts while studying other more just school funding solutions.

If like me you believe it’s time to stand up for the 03263’s of the state, please call your local senator and representative(s) to let them know you’d like them to stop reducing stabilization grants and restore them to 2016 levels.

A small effort perhaps, but a first step toward educational equity for Hopkinton and Pittsfield.

(Pam Mueller lives in Hopkinton.)