Politics & Government
State Sen. Ruth Ward Addresses Claremont School District Budget Crisis
The proposed Revolving Loan Fund would allow Claremont to access the state Adequate Education Funds at the beginning of each academic year.
CONCORD, NH — State Sen. Ruth Ward (R-Stoddard) introduced an amendment today to address the $5.1 million budget shortfall in the Claremont School District:
“I have asked Education Commissioner Caitlin Davis and Treasurer Monica Mezzapelle to help me draft a proposal that would assist the Claremont School Board in meeting its cash flow needs while filling the $5.1 million budget hole created by past fiscal mismanagement.
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The proposed Revolving Loan Fund would allow Claremont to access the state Adequate Education Funds at the beginning of each academic year, to be paid back with interest against their future Adequate Education Grants. This would come at no cost to New Hampshire taxpayers.
My top priority has been to ensure that Claremont students would be able to stay in school through the end of the school year. This amendment would provide Claremont with the financial flexibility it needs to do just that.”
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Senator Ward’s amendment would replace the language in HB 292, a study committee on SAU consolidation that has already passed the Legislature on a different bill. Ward has scheduled the Senate Education Committee for a Non-Germane Amendment hearing on the Ward amendment for Thursday, Oct. 14 at 1:00 at Granite Place, Room 232. Ward has invited members of the House Education Funding Committee to sit in on that hearing.
Following the hearing, the Senate Education Committee will consider Ward’s amendment and decide whether to recommend its passage to the full Senate, which meets on Oct. 23..
This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
