Senate Education Committee
Trevor Currier 271-4151
HB 709-FN, allowing parents or guardians to admit their children into any school district where they pay any property or school district taxes.
Hearing Date: March 3, 2026
Time Opened: 10:05 a.m. Time Closed: 10:13 a.m.
Members of the Committee Present: Senators Ward, Sullivan, Abbas, Prentiss and Altschiller
Members of the Committee Absent : None
Bill Analysis: This bill allows parents or guardians to admit their children into any school district where they pay any property tax or school district taxes.
Sponsors:
Rep. Burnham | Rep. DeRoy | Rep. Granger |
Rep. Potenza | Rep. Turcotte |
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Who supports the bill: 6 People signed in support of HB 709-FN. To see the full list of sign-ins, please email the committee aide (trevor.currier@gc.nh.gov).
Who opposes the bill:152 People signed in opposition to HB 709-FN. To see the full list of sign-ins, please email the committee aide (trevor.currier@gc.nh.gov).
Who is neutral on the bill:
Summary of testimony presented
Senator Ward introduced House Bill 709-FN on behalf of Representative Burnham.
Barrett Christina, New Hampshire School Board Association
- Mr. Christina testified in opposition to House Bill 709-FN.
- Mr. Christina expressed concern about the impact this bill could have on families and businesses that rent.
- Mr. Christina asked whether the legislation should be interpreted as limited to residential property or if it also includes commercial properties. He added that many businesses pay property taxes but do not reside in the same town.
- Mr. Christina explained that many families in New Hampshire are living with relatives and do not directly pay property taxes; the legislation is unclear on whether those families would be eligible.
- He expressed concern that the bill does not specify whether the property must be in use or if vacant property would meet the requirement.
- Mr. Christina stated that this legislation could create uncertainty in how state aid calculations are determined.
- Senator Sullivan inquired whether the intra-district school choice laws and the legislation permitting students to transfer within an SAU together would have resolved the issues Mr. Christina mentioned. Mr. Christina responded that this is not the case, as the previous legislation only addressed intra-district transfers because the adequacy aid calculations are simple.
Jerry Frew, New Hampshire School Administration Association
- Mr. Frew testified in opposition to House Bill 709-FN.
- Mr. Frew urges the legislature to carefully consider potential consequences that have not yet been realized from the culmination of all the open enrollment bills.
- Mr. Frew explained that many families who own businesses in heavy commercial areas don't live in the city or town where their business is located. He said this legislation would allow those business owners to enroll their children in the schools in the town where their business is located.
- He said that the impacts might not be clear when students are spread across many elementary schools, but they could become obvious when middle and high schools are merged.
T.C.
Date Hearing Report completed: March 4, 2026