It appears to me that the New Hampshire School Fairness Funding Project (NHFFP) is a politically motivated group advocating for higher taxes to increase financial support of public schools. I have questions. Take for example, the Kearsarge School District budget of over $55 million which will represent a $33,000 cost per student per year because there are only 1,668 students in the district. Was the Kearsarge Superintendent and School Board advocating that all New Hampshire school districts should spend $33,000 per student by hosting a recent meeting for the public with the NHFFP? Does spending more per student equal better outcomes?

At Kearsarge, 40% of students are not proficient in reading, and 56% of students are not proficient in math. So, excessive spending is not buying better outcomes. On to the Education Freedom Account grant which equals the “adequate education amount” granted to parents to spend on education. This means that students with an EFA are educated for $4,182 per year. The school district does not receive the $4,182 for each EFA student, but Kearsarge taxpayers also do not have to raise the balance of the $33,000 per student. So, the EFA turns out to be a big win for taxpayers. The EFA is also a big win for parents who have a choice about how to go about educating their own child. Is that a “my child, my choice” decision?

Claire Ketteler

Newbury