Under Construction: Improving New Hampshire's School Building Aid Program

Full Report (PDF)

Brief Description

Building a new school is a hefty financial undertaking, especially for small districts that lack large tax bases. For more than half a century, New Hampshire has helped local school districts pay for new construction through the School Building Aid program.

But in recent years, the program’s cost has increased at a rate far exceeding the rest of the state budget, raising concerns about how to maintain this service to local school districts. Requests from districts will exceed $50 million a year in the coming biennium, up from $25 million in FY2003.

In this report, the Center provides a brief history of New Hampshire's School Building Aid program, a review of its policy goals, an examination of how it has doled out money to school districts in recent years, and suggestions for policy reforms.