WMUR POLITICAL DIRECTOR ADAM SEXTON EXPLAINS. CALLED OUT IN LAST YEAR’S SUPERIOR COURT RULING THAT DEEMED STATE EDUCATION FUNDING UNCONSTITUTIONALLY LOW, LEGISLATOR ARE BRINGING FORWARD A NEW PLAN. CURRENTLY, STATE AID TO COVER THE BASE PER PUPIL COST OF AN ADEQUATE EDUCATION IS SET AT JUST OVER $4,000. HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE PROPOSED RAISING THAT FIGURE TO THE RECOMMENDED $7,300 PER PUPIL, BUT THEY ALSO WANT TO REWORK THE STATEWIDE EDUCATION PROPERTY TAX IN A WAY THAT WOULD IMPOSE LIMITS ON LOCAL EDUCATION SPENDING. UH, THREE YEAR, UH, CEILING ON SPENDING. CURRENTLY, IT HAS TO DO ALLOWS INCREASES BY THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX OR BY A TWO THIRDS VOTE OF THE DISTRICT’S LEGISLATURE. THE IDEA OF THE STATE PUTTING UP A BARRIER TO INCREASE LOCAL SPENDING ON SCHOOLS IS BEING MET WITH RESISTANCE. THE SPENDING CAPS SUBSTITUTES YOUR JUDGMENT FOR THE JUDGMENT OF MY BUDGET COMMITTEE, MY SCHOOL BOARD AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY DISTRICT. AND, UH, I DON’T WANT THAT. I WANT MY LOCAL CONTROL. OTHERS BALKED AT THE RETURN OF SO-CALLED DONOR TOWNS THAT WOULD SEE THEIR EDUCATION TAX DOLLARS REDISTRIBUTED AROUND THE STATE. THAT BASIC CONCEPT IS FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG, AND AT ODDS WITH HOW CITIES AND TOWNS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAVE GOVERNED THEMSELVES FOR CENTURIES. NOTHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE IS EASY, AND LAWMAKERS ARE GETTING KUDOS JUST FOR MAKING THE ATTEMPT. BUT OPPOSITION TO THIS AMENDMENT IS SIGNIFICANT AND BIPARTISAN. THIS PROPOSAL WILL LOCK IN THE GREAT DISPARITIES THAT CURRENTLY