Dietsch: Senate Will Vote To Raise Property Taxes Thursday

In a Union Leader op ed, Senator Ricciardi claims that SB130 will not impact property taxpayers. Yet the bill states clearly: 194-E2 : I. "The treasurer shall transfer to the scholarship organization the per pupil adequate education grant amount under RSA 198:40-a, plus any differentiated aid that would have been provided to a public school for that eligible student."

This will impact taxpayers in two ways. First, the bill, as amended, adds a potential 6000 home-, private and religious school students to the public rolls. The parents of these students have already chosen alternative education for their children and are paying for it themselves or with scholarships. This is approximately $24 million that might need to be raised to replace what is currently privately funded.

Secondly, some children may switch from public to the EFA program. For each student who switches, the local school district loses 50% of that child’s adequacy funding the first year, 75% the second year and all for subsequent years. This money will either cut school budgets or be made up by local property taxpayers.

Furthermore, the claim that $4000 from SB130 will let underprivileged children's families afford tuition to a private or religious school is specious. Average private/religious day-school tuition in NH is over $8000. And that does not account for transportation to the school, which most underprivileged children lack. The families this will help most are the ones already paying tuition who now can let taxpayers subsidize their choice.