FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   Thursday, February 21, 2008

Contact: Senator Joseph Foster

(603) 271-2111 or

Senator Ted Gatsas

(603) 271-2709

SENATE PASSES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

CONCORD – The Senate voted 19-5 in favor of a constitutional amendment on education today, passing a bipartisan compromise version that had strong support from both parties.

CACR 34 was created by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Foster (D-Nashua) and Republican Leader Ted Gatsas (R-Manchester). It has the support of Governor John Lynch.

“It does not dilute or diminish our obligation to better the educational opportunities of public school children. It allows us to effectively target education aid where it is most needed – in communities with the greatest concentrations of at-risk students but with comparatively fewer resources to help these students,” Foster said today.

“Crafting a ‘perfect’ education funding bill is impossible, because we would need 234 different funding plans – one for every city and town in the state. But this amendment will allow us to target aid to those communities in need. I urge my House colleagues to pass this amendment so the residents of New Hampshire can finally have a say," said Gatsas.

The language of the amendment affirms the state’s responsibility for defining an adequate education but would allow the Legislature to “distribute state funds for public education in a manner that alleviates local disparities.”

Currently, the Legislature is required to fund the first and last dollar of what it defines as an adequate education. Both Gatsas and Foster said that makes it almost impossible to really help communities who struggle with a high number of economically disadvantaged students and a small tax base to provide for those students.

“It’s time to let the New Hampshire voters have their say and passing this amendment will allow that,” said Senator Peter Burling (D-Cornish).

The Senate today tabled three other proposed constitutional amendments on education: CACR 31, CACR 32 and CACR 33.