CLAREMONT — The school district’s financial crisis has inspired a local state representative to propose legislation aimed at giving the City Council sole authority to approve the annual school budget.
State Rep. Wayne Hemingway, R-Claremont, who is also a city councilor, has filed a legislative service request in the New Hampshire House that would give voters in all cities and towns in the state the chance to vote on whether to cede control of the school budget approval to the city council or selectboard.
“It is really about getting some financial oversight of the schools,” Hemingway said last week. “We have a huge deficit and it has been that way for a long time so by doing this, it puts another set of eyes (on the budget.)”
Hemingway’s proposal comes as the Claremont School District is trying to resolve a $5 million deficit and a severe cash shortage.
He could not say whether his proposal, if approved by voters, would extend council authority to overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school budget and regular review of expenses paid.
The LSR won’t be assigned a bill number until the Legislature returns in January. The Office of Legislative Services works with the sponsor to draft the request into a formal bill.
Hemingway, who won reelection to the City Council in last Tuesday’s election, acknowledged that if his proposal becomes law and Claremont voters approve the change, it would eliminate voter input to amend the budget at the annual deliberative session.
Under the current process, the School Board’s proposed budget first goes to a public hearing and then the deliberative session, where changes can be proposed and voted on by residents. The budget then goes to a ballot vote in March.
Hemingway said residents could still comment on the budget and recommend changes under his proposal, but the authority to make cuts or increase the budget would rest solely with the council.
Claremont School Board members Candace Crawford and Arlene Hawkins said taking the right to vote on the school budget away from residents is a bad idea.
Crawford said this concept came up a few years ago and she recalls voters back then did not want to relinquish their vote.
“The citizens of Claremont have always wanted to have a direct vote on the school budget,” Crawford said. “They like to have that control.”
Hawkins said she has been in other states where voters didn’t control the budget and it creates “schisms,” and small groups with different views on the budget
“It became very political,” Hawkins said, agreeing with Crawford that “voters want the right to say yes or no on the school budget.”
Hemingway said there are several cities in the state that already have council authority over the budget including Manchester.
He emphasized that if his bill were to become law, it is only the first step in a process that could take up to three years before the council is given school budget approval authority.
As written, the LSR would first require voters in each municipality to approve a warrant article “granting their local city council or similar governing body the authority to review and control voting authority to approve the school budget…”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com