School District Budget Cap
School districts may adopt a school district budget cap to help impede tax increases.
Petition Process
- School Districts
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The minimum number of signatures needed is “25 or more voters or 2 percent of the voters of the school district, whichever is less, although in no event shall fewer than 10 registered voters be sufficient”.
RSA 197:6
Article Structure
RSA 32:5-f“Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-e, and implement a budget cap whereby the school board (or budget committee) shall not submit a recommended budget that is higher than _____ dollars per pupil cost times the average daily membership in residence of the school district as of October 1 of the year immediately preceding the proposed budget year plus a _____ percent annual increase for inflation. Requires a 3/5ths majority of the school district.”
RSA 32:5-f“Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-e, and implement a budget cap whereby the school board (or budget committee) shall not submit a recommended budget that is higher than _____ dollars per pupil cost times the average daily membership in residence of the school district as of October 1 of the year immediately preceding the proposed budget year plus an annual increase for inflation using (the index) published by (the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or American City and County) as of October 1. Requires a 3/5ths majority of the school district.”
Examples
Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-e, and implement a budget cap whereby the school board (or budget committee) shall not submit a recommended budget that is higher than 23,000 dollars per pupil cost times the average daily membership in residence of the school district as of October 1 of the year immediately preceding the proposed budget year plus a 3 percent annual increase for inflation. Requires a 3/5ths majority of the school district.
Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-e, and implement a budget cap whereby the school board (or budget committee) shall not submit a recommended budget that is higher than 23,000 dollars per pupil cost times the average daily membership in residence of the school district as of October 1 of the year immediately preceding the proposed budget year plus an annual increase for inflation using CPI-U for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH area published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of October 1. Requires a 3/5ths majority of the school district.