For decades, New Hampshire’s education funding regime has been controversial: the state provides a base adequacy subsidy per pupil (statutorily determined), while the bulk of school costs fall to local property taxpayers. Carsey School+2NH Journal+2
(more…)The following is the opinion of the author and should not be construed as the policy of the Sullivan County GOP or any elected representatives.
Parents owe their children an education before anyone owes Concord another revenue stream. The obligation runs from family to child, with the community as a secondary obligee because it lives with the downstream effects: neighbors who can read a budget, track a town warrant, evaluate evidence, and serve when called, voting, jury duty, and, in the broad constitutional sense, the unorganized militia. If we order duties that way, parents first, community second, state as backstop, the funding question looks different. The right mechanism keeps authority near consequences, makes costs visible to the people who approve them, and resists the political reflex to send the bill to “someone else.” In New Hampshire, that mechanism is the property tax, not a sales tax and not an income tax.
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At the recent Claremont school board meetings, two groups showed up in force. On one side were parents who spoke about academic rigor, trades training, and the desperate need for better outcomes in math, science, and reading. On the other side, far louder, were parents and students pleading for the preservation of sports and extracurricular activities. Judging by the passion in the room, you might conclude that Friday night lights, not literacy, are the real core mission of public education.
(more…)In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Joseph Stalin initiated a campaign against the so-called kulaks—peasants accused of being wealthier than their neighbors. The label itself was fluid; it could encompass anyone who owned a few more cows or harvested a little more grain than the village average. The state cast these modestly prosperous farmers as class enemies. Their land, tools, and homes were seized in the name of “social justice,” and millions were deported, starved, or executed in the process.
(more…)Claremont School District’s Financial Crisis
Parents in the Claremont School District (SAU6) are living through a crisis that can no longer be brushed aside as a temporary budget hiccup. The district is not merely facing a “tight year.” It is confronting a full-blown financial collapse brought on by years of mismanagement, structural deficits, and an inability to adapt to New Hampshire’s restrictive education funding model. The district’s own leaders have described their position as “survival mode.” For parents, the implication is clear: waiting for the state or municipal government to ride to the rescue is no longer realistic. Families need to make immediate, practical plans for their children’s education.
This post explains how SAU6 got here, why legislative and municipal obstacles block a quick fix, and how parents can use Education Options edopt.org to take charge of their children’s education amid systemic breakdown.
The immediate trigger of the crisis was the revelation that SAU6 failed to file for timely reimbursement of federal grants, leaving millions of dollars of anticipated revenue uncollected, compounding existing budget deficits that had already forced painful staff reductions and program cuts.
Further investigation revealed that the district had not conducted proper financial audits for several years, meaning deficits accumulated silently. Cash reserves were depleted, and by the time the problem became public, SAU6 was unable to meet its obligations without emergency transfers and short-term fixes.
The result has been a cycle of reactive measures: staff furloughs, canceled programs, deferred maintenance, and rising class sizes. For families, this translates into instability, the very opposite of the aura public schools prefer to project.
At first glance, one might assume the solution is simple: raise local taxes or authorize an emergency bond. But the legal and legislative framework makes such remedies extremely difficult.
New Hampshire funds education through state “adequacy grants” derived mainly from the Statewide Education Property Tax (SWEPT) and general state revenues, with local property taxes covering the remainder of the budgeted funds, creating wide spending disparities between property-rich and, as in the case of Claremont, property-poor communities.
By law, school districts cannot borrow money to cover operating deficits. While capital projects can be bonded, a hole in the operating budget must be filled within the fiscal year. That leaves districts like SAU6 boxed in: they cannot simply borrow their way out of insolvency.
State law also restricts municipalities from enacting midyear tax hikes or special appropriations without following specific legal channels. These rules were designed to ensure fiscal discipline, but now function as handcuffs when a crisis demands urgent flexibility.
At the municipal level, the City of Claremont’s charter adds a layer of constraint. The city cannot simply call a special referendum to authorize new funding for the schools. Doing so would require either an amendment to the charter passed by the legislature or a judicial petition, both time-consuming and politically fraught.
In practice, this means that even if the community is willing to raise revenue, after already sustaining a significant property value reassessment and resulting tax increase, to save its schools, the mechanisms to do so are locked behind structural barriers.
The uncomfortable truth is that parents cannot wait for the legislature to fix Claremont’s problems. The gears of Concord turn slowly by design, and even the most sympathetic lawmakers cannot unwind decades of restrictive funding policy overnight. Municipal officials, meanwhile, are bound by charter restrictions that prevent quick intervention.
For families, the question becomes immediate and personal: What do I do to ensure my child receives an education this year?
The law in New Hampshire is clear: parents are legally responsible for ensuring their children are educated. Public schools fulfill that duty only as long as they are functional. When the system falters, the responsibility does not disappear.
This is where edopt.org comes in. EdOpt is a resource built precisely for moments like this, when families need to explore options beyond their assigned public school.
Parents visiting the site can:
EdOpt’s value lies not only in presenting options but in helping parents navigate them quickly. In a crisis, time is the one resource families cannot afford to waste.
The collapse of SAU6 is not just an institutional failure; it is a test of community resilience. While parents cannot rewrite state law overnight, they can take control of their children’s education. By using tools like edopt.org, families can fulfill both their legal obligation and their moral duty to ensure that the next generation is not left behind by bureaucratic paralysis.
The path forward will not be easy, and it will not be solved solely by local activism or legislative lobbying. But parents are not powerless. The choices you make today, to explore alternatives, to demand accountability, to act decisively, will shape your child’s future more than any budget vote in Concord.
If you are a Claremont parent wondering what to do next, start here: visit edopt.org, explore your options, and take back control of your child’s education.
Homeschooling families and advocates of alternatives to public education have a new reason to celebrate: The Big Beautiful Bill. This sweeping piece of legislation offers one of the most significant expansions of support for homeschooling, private schooling, and educational choice in recent memory. Here’s why this bill is such great news for parents and families who value educational freedom:
✏️ 1. Scholarship Tax Credit Support
The Big Beautiful Bill introduces federal tax credits for contributions made to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). These SGOs provide scholarships covering tuition, curricular materials, tutoring, standardized testing fees, dual-enrollment expenses, and therapeutic services for students with disabilities, benefiting families who choose homeschooling or private schooling.
Critically, families earning up to 300% of their area’s median income can benefit from these scholarships, significantly expanding access to alternative educational pathways.
📘 2. Affirmation of Educational Freedom
This legislation explicitly prohibits discrimination against religious and mission-based schools when families utilize these scholarships or tax credits. This ensures that religious homeschoolers and private school families are treated equally and protected from bias at the federal, state, or local levels.
The Big Beautiful Bill prevents government entities from discouraging the use of scholarships at religious or private educational institutions, solidifying educational freedom at the national level.
🎯 3. Expanded Definition of “Qualified Expenses”
Under the Big Beautiful Bill, Section 529 savings accounts can now be used to cover a wider array of educational expenses, including:
This dramatically increases financial flexibility for homeschooling and private-school families, allowing tax-advantaged savings for all educational stages—not just college.
👪 4. Parental Rights Strengthened in Court
The Big Beautiful Bill grants parents explicit rights to intervene in any legal actions challenging the constitutionality of scholarship programs or school-choice policies. This ensures parents have the necessary tools to defend educational choice actively.
🏫 5. Autonomy for Scholarship Granting Organizations
Notably, the Big Beautiful Bill clarifies that SGOs are independent entities, not agents of the government. This preserves the autonomy and mission integrity of organizations that fund educational alternatives, safeguarding them from undue government influence.
Why the Big Beautiful Bill is a Milestone ✅
Bottom Line
The Big Beautiful Bill marks a significant victory for parents who believe education should be tailored to each child’s unique needs. By lowering barriers, protecting choice, and enhancing financial support, this legislation paves the way toward a more diverse, flexible, and responsive educational future.
Share this post to support educational freedom and parental choice. Together, we can continue advocating for policies that empower families and students everywhere.