School districts across the capital region will contend with new limits on what they can raise through local property taxes in upcoming years, after voters in many communities approved tax caps on Tuesday.
Caps tied to inflation will go into effect in districts including Pittsfield, Weare, and Hillsboro-Deering. Results in several other area school districts, including Merrimack Valley, had not been fully released as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, but appeared to be trending toward surpassing the 60% supermajority threshold required.
The passage of the Republican-backed initiative appeared to be a rare bright spot for the party on Tuesday, as Republicans suffered major defeats in the state legislature.
The ballot question was narrowly defeated in some Democratic-leaning districts, including Concord and Henniker. While a majority of voters in both communities supported implementing a cap, the measure failed to reach 60%.
Many school leaders warned before the election that if a tax cap passed, they would be forced to make devastating cuts, including to teaching positions and extracurricular programs.
In addition to capping local property tax increases at the rate of inflation, districts that passed the ballot question must also limit the amount of money allocated to the school administrative unit’s central office to 6% of total SAU spending.
Voters can override the tax cap at their annual meeting if they achieve a three-fifths majority.
Though school tax caps have long existed in several states, their entrance into New Hampshire on a widespread basis is a new approach to a persistent challenge in the state, which relies on local property taxes to fund public K-12 education at the highest rate in the country.
Republican lawmakers, who championed legislation placing the tax cap on ballots this year and in 2028, argued the measure was necessary to give the public more of a say over school budgets that have grown precipitously in recent years.
Democratic opponents countered that the ballot question was a distraction from what they see as the real problem: A lack of state-level support for public education.
The Concord Monitor will update this story as results from additional districts come in.
