. . . and right away, because we reside in New Hampshire, we all know that means property tax, since we have no income or sales tax, no longer any interest and dividends tax, no excise tax, etc. Because the state legislature has downgraded the importance of public education by consistently appropriating fewer funds, local property taxpayers have become responsible for financing our public schools. 

It doesn’t stop there: New Hampshire is 50th in the nation in funding education, bottom of the pile, in financing higher education. Where once the population of Andover Elementary/Middle School was over 220, it now sits at 166 students. The after-effects of COVID, and homeschooling, have contributed to the decline, but the real culprit is EFTs, the education freedom accounts, commonly known as vouchers. 

Funding a system that provides money to any family in the state for the education placement of their choice means removing dollars from what little the state still gives local schools. To add insult to injury, the state has also decided to significantly reduce its contribution to special education costs.

Schools, school boards, and school districts have worked overtime to produce bare-bones but reasonable budgets. They are hampered by contractual obligations, both internal and external, and rising insurance costs, among other factors. 

If you want to have a voice, go to NH.gov and look up contact info for the governor, the education commissioner, and most important, your local state reps. Write to them, call them, email them, hound them!

Above all, be kind to the teachers, the administrators, the town and school officials. It’s not their fault. If you value public education, contact the people making the decisions. 

And keep the Kearsarge Regional School District in mind: 92 percent of their voters decided against a cap on the school budget because they get it. We need an educated populace, now and in our future.

Janet Moore

Andover