2023 New Hampshire Revised Statutes › Title XV - Education › Chapter 198 - School Money › Section 198:41 - Determination of Education Grants.

198:41 Determination of Education Grants. –
I. Except for municipalities where all school districts therein provide education to all of their pupils by paying tuition to other institutions, the department of education shall determine the total education grant for the municipality as follows:
(a) Add the per pupil cost of providing the opportunity for an adequate education for which each pupil is eligible pursuant to RSA 198:40-a, I-III, and from such amount;
(b) Subtract the amount of the education tax warrant to be issued by the commissioner of revenue administration for such municipality reported pursuant to RSA 76:8 for the next tax year; and
(c) Add the municipality's extraordinary need grant pursuant to RSA 198:40-f.
II. For fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025, the department of education shall distribute a hold harmless grant equal to any amount in which a municipality's adequacy grant is less than 104 percent of the fiscal year 2024 preliminary estimate for the adequacy grant as of November 15, 2022. No municipality with a current adequacy grant amount that exceeds the fiscal year 2024 preliminary estimate shall receive a hold harmless grant. No hold harmless grant shall be distributed to any municipality in which the municipality's education property tax warrant pursuant to RSA 76:8 exceeds the total cost of an adequate education.
III. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, the hold harmless grant calculated under paragraph II shall decrease as a percent of the amount awarded under the following schedule:
(1) 80 percent of the calculated fiscal year 2025 hold harmless grant shall be awarded for fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027.
(2) 60 percent of the calculated fiscal year 2025 hold harmless grant shall be awarded for fiscal year 2028 and fiscal year 2029.
(3) 40 percent of the calculated fiscal year 2025 hold harmless grant shall be awarded for fiscal year 2030 and fiscal year 2031.
(4) 20 percent of the calculated fiscal year 2025 hold harmless grant shall be awarded for fiscal year 2032 and fiscal year 2033.
(5) No hold harmless grant shall be awarded for fiscal year 2034 and each year thereafter.
IV. The department shall use the best available data and methods to estimate ADMR and education grants by November 15 of the year preceding the school year for which aid is determined.
V. The department shall produce a revised estimate of grants using actual determination year data for the purpose of settling municipal tax rates. A municipality's grant estimate shall not be less than 95 percent of the estimate reported pursuant to paragraph IV. The commissioner of the department of education shall provide the estimate for the current fiscal year to the commissioner of the department of revenue administration no later than October 1 of each year.
VI. When final determination year data is available, but not later than April 1, the department shall make a final determination of grant amounts. A municipality's grant estimate shall not be less than 95 percent of the estimate reported pursuant to paragraph IV. The department shall adjust the April grant disbursement required pursuant to RSA 198:42 so that the total amount disbursed for the fiscal year shall match the final grant determination.
VII. Reports of grant determinations for municipalities required pursuant to paragraphs IV- VI shall be available to the public by the date specified in paragraphs IV- VI, and the department shall make available a report for multi-town school districts and municipalities with multiple school districts. The department of education shall provide the department of revenue administration the information needed to set tax rates.
Source.
1999, 17:41; 338:10. 2003, 241:7. 2004, 200:8; 244:4. 2005, 257:7, 8. 2006, 6:1, 2. 2007, 270:3, eff. June 29, 2007. 2008, 173:9, eff. July 1, 2009; 173:17, I, eff. June 30, 2009; 173:17, III, eff. July 1, 2011. 2011, 258:3, eff. July 1, 2011. 2013, 4:1, eff. Mar. 18, 2013; 144:120, eff. July 1, 2013. 2015, 276:139, eff. July 1, 2015; 276:140, eff. July 1, 2017. 2016, 8:4, 5, eff. Mar. 16, 2016; 85:9, eff. July 18, 2016. 2019, 346:235, eff. July 1, 2020; 346:236, III, eff. July 1, 2021; 346:238, eff. July 1, 2019. 2021, 91:57, eff. July 1, 2021. 2022, 175:7, eff. July 1, 2022; 318:2, eff. July 1, 2022. 2023, 79:156, eff. July 1, 2023.