PORTSMOUTH – It s a tale as old as time in New Hampshire.
Despite several state Supreme Court rulings, including two findings of unconstitutionality, the income and sales tax-less Granite State cannot come to a consensus over how to adequately and equitably fund its public schools.
According to 2018 Census data, New Hampshire s percentage of state funding per student was the lowest in the country. And its reliance on property taxes goes unmatched.
The city of Portsmouth has been working quietly to lead a renewed lobbying effort to bat down a potential proposal alluded to in a 181-page final report released in December by the state Legislature s Commission to Study School Funding.
PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth Listens hosted 160 attendees remotely Wednesday night for its virtual “McIntyre Project 101” opening session. It was the first in a series of events aimed at compiling public dialogue and opinion on how best to redevelop the long-sought-after Thomas J. McIntyre federal building property on Daniel Street.
Partnering with members of the McIntyre Subcommittee, city officials and Principle Group, a Boston-based urban design architectural firm charged with developing sketch proposals of the McIntyre property based on the results of public dialogue, Portsmouth Listens co-founder Jim Noucas said the road to beginning the public input process has been a long time coming.