Are We Really Underfunding Education, or Are We Asking Taxpayers to Spend More?
By Representative Jack Flanagan
There has been a lot said lately about education funding in New Hampshire. We hear that Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) are draining public schools, Concord isn't providing enough money, and rising property taxes are simply the price we must pay for good schools.
But what do the numbers tell us?
I have served Hollis and Brookline on several school boards, including as Chairman of the Brookline School Board and SAU 41 Board and Vice Chairman of the Hollis Brookline Cooperative School Board. I also served 10 years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. I've seen education funding from both the local and state perspectives.
Here are some numbers Hollis voters should know:
EFAs: Just 1.3% of K–12 Spending
New Hampshire spends roughly $4 billion annually on K–12 education statewide, including state, local, and federal dollars. Approximately $50 million is spent annually on Education Freedom Accounts.
That's about 1.3% of overall K–12 education spending. Put another way, approximately 98.7% of K–12 education spending is outside the EFA program.
Families using EFAs also continue paying their local property taxes, which continue to support their local public schools.
People can disagree about school choice, but the numbers provide an important perspective. A program representing approximately 1.3% of statewide K–12 spending cannot reasonably be portrayed as the primary driver of rising local school budgets and property taxes.
State Aid: More Than $1 Billion in FY2026
We also hear that the answer to rising property taxes is simply for Concord to spend more on education.
But New Hampshire is already making a substantial investment. In FY2026, the state's education funding formula provides approximately $1.08 billion in total statewide adequacy funding. That includes approximately $717 million in adequacy grants and $364 million through the Statewide Education Property Tax. And this is on top of diminishing school populations statewide.
The base adequacy amount is $4,265.64 per student, before additional differentiated aid for students with greater educational needs, including low-income students, students receiving special education services, and English-language learners.
The question, then, isn't simply whether Concord should spend more. It is whether the education dollars taxpayers are already providing are being spent effectively and producing the results our students deserve.
More funding alone cannot be the measure of our commitment to education. Taxpayers have every right to ask what students are receiving for that investment and whether additional spending is the only answer.
Administration: Where Are Our Education Dollars Going?
SAU 41's FY2026 report lists the superintendent's salary at $176,752.
It also lists an Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at $138,004, an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum at $135,058, and the Business Administrator at $125,000.
Together, those four salaries total more than $574,000 before benefits.
For comparison, the salary assigned under state law to the governor of New Hampshire is approximately $165,000.
This isn't an argument against paying qualified professionals fairly. It's an argument for accountability. Taxpayers have every right to ask how much of each education dollar reaches classrooms, teachers and students and how much supports administration.
November 3: Voters Decide
Republican-led HB 1300, signed into law this summer, puts a school property-tax cap question before voters in the November 2026 general election.
If approved by three-fifths of voters, growth in the amount raised through local school property taxes would generally be limited based on the Northeast Consumer Price Index plus growth from new construction. Bonded capital costs are excluded from the caps, and voters retain the ability to override the caps through the procedures established in state law.
The choice isn't excellent schools or tax relief.
We can support students and teachers, preserve local control, demand accountability, and protect taxpayers.
This November 3, the choice belongs to you.
To learn more about our upcoming Community Conversations series, visit our Events page.
Jack Flanagan
State Representative, Hillsborough District 45
Serving Hollis, Brookline, Mason, and Greenville
Email: jbflanagan3@gmail.com
Website: CommonsenseforNH.com
