Was governor right to sign school funding bill?

Gov. John Lynch yesterday (July 13, 2011) signed legislation that resets the formula for school aid funding.

HB 337 is described as "an act amending the calculation and distribution of adequate education grants, repealing fiscal capacity disparity aid, and providing stabilization grants to certain municipalities."

Starting in 2014 no community would get a school aid increase of more than 5.5 percent a year. The bill also eliminates a requirement for property-rich communities to help poorer communities with their education costs.

It attempts to end the uncertainty over aid by linking it to student enrollment and taking into account how many students are poor or have special needs. Do you think this attempt will work?

Its supporters say the measure will end dramatic school aid fluctuations from year to year.

"We were committed this year to bringing stability to education funding while ensuring that our municipalities would get exactly the same amount of money that they recieved last year," said House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt.

"This legislation took a huge step forward in delivering on that promise and Governor Lynch must be thanked for signing this important legislation into law.  However, this is just one piece to reforming education in New Hampshire. We remain committed to passing a constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature the flexibility to target aid to the communities that need it most and give parents and local school boards the ability to determine the best way to educate their children."