Suit Drop but the Damage is Done.

The following article appeared in the Union Leader.


My favorite line in the story below is "Fifteen participating towns and school districts gave almost $160,000 of public money toward legal expenses for the case. NHCafe plans to ask the court to award that money back to it, so the money can be held in a "war chest" in case more legal action is needed, Young said." War it is, educrats are more concerned about money and protecting their entitlement program called public education. Our education system is no longer public it is been hijacked by the educrats and unions who want to divert control from the local level to the state level. State control means these greedy people only have to persuade legislators to feed their insatiable thirst for money rather than having to persuade voters locally. No matter how much money we give these people it will never be enough.

We wonder how many taxpayers in these communities agreed to have their own tax dollars used against them to have their tax dollars raised in the future.

Group agrees to drop education suit
By TRENT SPINER
Union Leader Correspondent
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007


LONDONDERRY – A coalition of communities has agreed to dismiss its long-standing court case against the state over adequate education.

Three years after suing the state to define, cost out, fund and hold local schools responsible for an adequate education, the New Hampshire Communities for Adequate Funding of Education (NHCafe) said it believes the Legislature will act within a year to complete mandates set by the Supreme Court.

"What they have done, in our opinion, is made a good faith effort to define an adequate education," said Steve Young, president of the watchdog group representing Londonderry, Merrimack and other communities.

►Legislature defines an adequate education

He said his group believes the Legislature will be able to put a price on its new definition of an adequate education by February and determine a way to fund it by that June.

"We think the Legislature and governor will act during the upcoming legislative session to address the remaining mandates," said Nate Greenberg, Londonderry superintendent of schools.

"But if they act in a manner that we believe is unlawful, or that we believe they fail to act, we have asked that we retain the right to bring further legal action."

Young said the decision to drop the case came after the Supreme Court asked for the group's opinion while trying to decide if the case should be remanded to the Superior Court for further examination. If that were to happen, the Superior Court would have had the power to figure out the full cost and funding mechanism needed to pay for the Legislature's definition of education.

Young said he hopes the Legislature will be a better arena for that decision to be made.

"We think this is the best way for the entire state of New Hampshire, especially the children," he said.

"By June 30 of next year, we may actually have a bill that adequately funds education that the average man on the street can understand."

Fifteen participating towns and school districts gave almost $160,000 of public money toward legal expenses for the case. NHCafe plans to ask the court to award that money back to it, so the money can be held in a "war chest" in case more legal action is needed, Young said.

NHCafe members and their contribution amounts are the town of Amherst, $5,000; Amherst SAU 39, $6,800; Auburn SAU 15, $4,000; Candia SAU 15, $2,400; Concord SAU 8, $10,000; Dover SAU 11, $5,000; Hampstead SAU 55, $15,000; Hooksett SAU 15, $8,280; Londonderry SAU 12, $20,000; town of Londonderry, $10,000; Merrimack SAU 26, $20,000; town of Merrimack, $10,000; Nottingham SAU 44, $1,500; Pelham SAU 28, $5,000; Plaistow SAU 55, $15,000; town of Plaistow, $5,000; Salem SAU, 57 $5,000; Windham SAU, 28 $5,000

The Attorney General's Office will release its opinion on whether the case should be remanded back to the Superior Court by Aug. 27.

"I think it's a pretty big move," said Young. "The interesting thing will be what the state's response is. I would expect that they will lock arms and work with us.

"They defined it, they have said they will fulfill these other three mandates. The only thing they could say now was that they were kidding."

Greenberg said changes to the law could impact school funding by the 2008-2009 academic year.