Why are my property taxes so high? Towns aren’t blowing big bucks on luxury ballrooms and school board members aren’t looking around to find new ways to spend money. Voters approve budgets because they know roads and bridges need to be maintained and plowed. Teachers and staff expect raises, just like anyone else. And more is expected from our high school graduates.
Yet after a decade of Republican-controlled state government, property taxes have gone through the roof faster than ever before. It’s clear Republicans don’t understand what voters know, and it’s time for them to own up to their mess.
Republicans created New Hampshire’s property tax crisis. They reneged on the state’s share to support retirement for teachers and first responders to the tune of a billion dollars so far and they expanded a taxpayer-funded private school voucher scam that will cost the state another billion dollars over the next 10 years.
Republicans even found $10 million to bail out so-called investors, including some of their own cronies in the legislature, who tried to side-step securities regulators and got burned in a Ponzi scheme. Yet when it comes to funding public schools, they suddenly claim there’s no more cash in the drawer.
New Hampshire ranks last in the nation in the state’s share of funding for public schools. And that means property taxpayers are left to pick up the tab for things most of us agree we need, like great schools and strong communities. Granite Staters place a high priority on quality public schools and New Hampshire public school kids perform “top five” and are among the best in the country.
These aren’t talking points. These are facts documented repeatedly by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Being “top five” is kind of a big deal. And Republicans, including the governor, like to wave that around and take credit for your hard work.
In a recent column, state representatives Mike Moffett, Jose Cambrils and Alvin See argue that bills to increase the state’s share to fund public schools did not identify a revenue source and speculate that it could require higher taxes. Their beef devotes considerable attention to hypothetical tax increases. It’s a convenient excuse to vote against state funding for public schools. Of course, what they forget is we’re already paying for it.
When the state contributes the smallest share of public school funding in America, local taxpayers inevitably pay more. And in some communities, they pay a lot more. Cities and towns with modest property values must impose far higher tax rates than wealthier communities simply to provide similar educational opportunities. That inequity has been recognized repeatedly by our courts.
Republicans like to point to New Hampshire’s total per-pupil spending, suggesting that because the overall figure is high, additional state aid is unnecessary. That statistic misses the central issue, which isn’t about how much schools spend overall. It’s about whether the state is living up to its constitutional obligation to guarantee funding for every school district, and about fairness for students and taxpayers.
So let’s look at actual state spending for an adequate education. Not including state and local property taxes, the state spends on average $3,047 for each student in a public school. Compare that with $4,963 for each student with a private school voucher, and $9,086 for each student attending a privately run charter school. The state does direct additional funds to some districts like Manchester, Berlin and Claremont, but it hasn’t done much for meaningful property tax relief.
Property taxpayers deserve honesty. If Republicans believe the state should remain last in the nation in its commitment to public schools, they should defend that position openly. If they believe homeowners should continue carrying the heaviest burden while the state prioritizes sweetheart deals and private school vouchers, they should make that argument. And if they think “top five” is too good for our kids and public schools should be denied the funding they need, then just say that.
Actually, that is what they’re saying.
Rep. Dave Luneau (D-Hopkinton) is the ranking member on the education funding committee.