neal kurk | Support HB564

February 4, 2025 N.H. House Committee on Education Policy and Administration Legislative Office Building 33 North State Street Concord NH 03301 Re: HB 564, relative to the adoption of school administrative unit budgets Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: Granite State Taxpayers is New Hampshire’s oldest statewide taxpayer advocacy group, founded in 1990 by the late Governor Mel Thomson and the late N.H. Senator George Lovejoy. GST supports HB 564. Today, the SAU budget is approved by a panel of school board members who co0nstitute the SAU board. Once approved, it becomes part of both the school district’s proposed and default budgets. School district voters cannot amend it; it is a fait accompli. This bill changes that procedure. It allows school district voters to have a direct up-or-down vote on the SAU budget, with a default-type budget if the proposed budget does not gain a majority vote. This is far more in keeping with New Hampshire’s traditional town meeting, where voters get to decide on the amount of money they’ll support with their property tax dollars. The bill thus furthers local control and, in some districts, will likely reduce school district administrative costs. Respectfully, Neal M. Kurk Director Granite State Taxpayers