HB 1831-FN

repealing the education trust fund targeted aid cap.

Filed 2026 · Killed · Education Funding · Education - General

Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗

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On the record

Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.

Status	HOUSE
Introduced	1/7/2026
Floor date	2/19/2026
LSR number	2399
Local government impact	no
Committee code	H63

Bill text (PDF) ↗

Where it stands

Died when the session ended

The bill was set aside during the session and never taken back up, so it died when the session ended.

What happened

Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.

January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Education Funding
January 20, 2026Public Hearing: 01/20/2026 11:00 am GP 232
February 6, 2026Executive Session: 02/06/2026 10:00 am GP 232
February 10, 2026Executive Session: 02/10/2026 12:45 pm GP 232
February 11, 2026Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/10/2026 (Vote 10-8; RC)
February 11, 2026Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
February 19, 2026Lay HB1831 on Table (Rep. Peternel): MA RC 187-158 02/19/2026
August 19, 2026Died on Table, Session ended 08/19/2026

Votes

Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.

Lay on Table

February 19, 2026 · House · 187–158, adopted

Votes by party
Party	Yes	No	Presiding	Excused	Absent
Republican	185	4	1	19	7
Democrat	2	154	0	14	6
Independent	0	0	0	0	1
Total	187	158	1	33	14

Yes — 187

Aldrich, Glen(R) Belk 6
Alexander, Joe(R) Hills 29
Ammon, Keith(R) Hills 42
Andrus, Louise(R) Merr 5
Aron, Judy(R) Sull 4
Aron, Michael(R) Sull 8
Aures, Cyril(R) Merr 13
Avellani, Lino(R) Carr 4
Aylward, Deborah(R) Merr 5
Bailey, Glenn(R) Straf 2
Ball, Lorie(R) Rock 25
Barbour, Liz(R) Hills 35
Barton, Joseph(R) Graf 1
Beaulier, Calvin(R) Graf 1
Bennett, Cindy(R) Rock 4
Berezhny, Lex(R) Graf 11
Bergeron, Dan(D) Hills 16
Bernardy, JD(R) Rock 36
Berry, Ross(R) Hills 44
Bjelobrk, Marie Louise(R) Graf 5
Boehm, Ralph(R) Hills 38
Bogert, Steven(R) Belk 5
Bordes, Mike(R) Belk 5
Boyd, Bill(R) Hills 12
Boyd, Stephen(R) Merr 10
Bridle, Nicholas(R) Rock 29
Bryer, Scott(R) Rock 1
Cambrils, Jose(R) Merr 4
Coker, Matthew(R) Belk 2
Colcombe, Riché(R) Hills 30
Corcoran, Travis(R) Hills 28
Crawford, Karel(R) Carr 3
Creighton, James(R) Hills 30
Daniels, Gary(R) Hills 43
Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2
DeDe-Poulin, Denise(R) Straf 6
DeLemus, Susan(R) Straf 1
DeRoy, Susan(R) Straf 3
DeSimone, Debra(R) Rock 18
DeVito, Sayra(R) Rock 8
Devoid, Ricky(R) Merr 1
Dolan, Tom(R) Rock 16
Donnelly, Tanya(R) Rock 25
Drago, Mike(R) Rock 4
Drew, Matt(R) Hills 19
Drye, Margaret(R) Sull 7
Dumais, Russell(R) Belk 6
Dumont, Dillon(R) Hills 13
Dunn, Ron(R) Rock 16
Durkin, Sean(R) Coos 1
Edwards, Jess(R) Rock 31
Erf, Keith(R) Hills 28
Farrington, Samuel(R) Straf 8
Fedolfi, Jim(R) Hills 30
Foote, Charles(R) Rock 13
Ford, Mary(R) Rock 3
Franz, Linda(R) Graf 6
Freeman, Lisa(R) Belk 8
Gagne, Larry(R) Hills 16
Giasson, Henry(R) Hills 29
Gonzalez, Ernesto(R) Merr 3
Gorski, Ted(R) Hills 2
Granger, Michael(R) Straf 2
Grant, George(R) Sull 5
Griffin, Gerald(R) Hills 42
Guthrie, Joseph(R) Rock 15
Guzofski, James(R) Rock 1
Hall, Robley(R) Straf 1
Hamblen, Joseph(R) Carr 3
Harb, Robert(R) Rock 20
Harvey-Bolia, Juliet(R) Belk 3
Hemingway, Wayne(R) Sull 6
Hill, Gregory(R) Merr 2
Hunt, John(R) Ches 14
Janigian, John(R) Rock 25
Kaczynski, Thomas(R) Straf 5
Karasinski, Sly(R) Ches 10
Katsakiores, Phyllis(R) Rock 13
Kelley, Diane(R) Hills 32
Kenny, Catherine(R) Hills 13
Kesselring, Steven(R) Hills 18
Khan, Aboul(R) Rock 30
King, Seth(R) Coos 4
Kofalt, Jim(R) Hills 32
Korzen, Lori(R) Coos 7
Kuttab, Katelyn(R) Rock 17
Labrie, Brian(R) Hills 2
Ladd, Rick(R) Graf 5
Layon, Erica(R) Rock 13
Litchfield, Melissa(R) Rock 32
Louis, Darrell(R) Graf 1
Love, David(R) Rock 13
Lundgren, David(R) Rock 16
Lynn, Bob(R) Rock 17
MacDonald, John(R) Carr 6
MacDonald, Wayne(R) Rock 16
Mandelbaum, Jennifer(D) Rock 21
Mannion, Dennis(R) Rock 25
Mannion, Tom(R) Hills 1
Mattson, Rita(R) Ches 18
Mazur, Lisa(R) Hills 44
McDonnell, Valerie(R) Rock 25
McFarlane, Donald(R) Graf 18
McGrath, Linda(R) Rock 40
McGuire, Carol(R) Merr 27
McGuire, Dan(R) Merr 14
McLean, Mark(R) Hills 15
Mehegan, Peter(R) Merr 12
Melvin, Charles(R) Rock 20
Miles, Julie(R) Hills 12
Milz, David(R) Rock 13
Miner, Laurence(R) Rock 7
Minor, Sheri(R) Belk 5
Moffett, Michael(R) Merr 4
Mooney, Maureen(R) Hills 12
Morency, Pete(R) Coos 5
Morton, Jonathan(R) Hillsborough 39
Murphy, Denis(R) Ches 11
Murphy, Mary(R) Hills 27
Nadeau, Brian(R) Rock 4
Nalevanko, Rich(R) Ches 9
Nelson, Jodi(R) Rock 13
Noble, Kristin(R) Hills 2
Notter, Jeanine(R) Hills 12
Ohm, Bill(R) Hills 10
Osborne, Jason(R) Rock 2
Ouellet, Mike(R) Coos 3
Panek, Sandra(R) Hillsborough 1
Pauer, Diane(R) Hills 36
Pearson, Mark(R) Rock 34
Pearson, Stephen(R) Rock 13
Peeples, Raymond(R) Hills 14
Perez, Kristine(R) Rock 16
Peternel, Katy(R) Carr 6
Pitaro, Matthew(R) Merr 11
Plante, Raymond(R) Merr 27
Ploszaj, Tom(R) Belk 1
Polozov, Yury(R) Merr 10
Porcelli, Susan(R) Rock 19
Post, Lisa(R) Hills 42
Potenza, Kelley(R) Straf 19
Potucek, John(R) Rock 13
Presa, Adam(R) Hills 12
Prudhomme-O'Brien, Katherine(R) Rock 13
Qualey, James(R) Ches 18
Reinfurt, Sherri(R) Hills 29
Rhodes, Jennifer(R) Ches 17
Rollins, Skip(R) Sull 3
Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30
Schneller, John(R) Hills 2
Scully, Kevin(R) Hills 8
Seaworth, Brian(R) Merr 12
See, Alvin(R) Merr 26
Selby, Donald(R) Rock 9
Sellers, John(R) Graf 10
Sheehan, Vanessa(R) Hills 43
Sirois, Shane(R) Hills 32
Slottje, Jeremy(R) Hills 13
Smith, Jonathan(R) Carr 5
Smith, Steven(R) Sull 3
Soti, Julius(R) Rock 35
Spilsbury, Walter(R) Sull 3
Summers, James(R) Rock 20
Sweeney, Joe(R) Rock 25
Sytek, John(R) Rock 25
Taylor, Brian(R) Carr 8
Tenczar, Jeffrey(R) Hills 1
Terry, Paul(R) Belk 7
Thackston, Dick(R) Ches 12
Thibault, James(R) Merr 25
Thomas, Douglas(R) Rock 16
Toner, Travis(R) Belk 4
Tremblay, Marc(R) Coos 5
Tripp, Richard(R) Rock 13
Tudor, Paul(R) Rock 1
Turcotte, Len(R) Straf 4
Ulery, Jordan(R) Hills 13
Vandecasteele, Susan(R) Rock 25
Verville, Kevin(R) Rock 2
Vose, Michael(R) Rockingham 5
Walker, David(R) Straf 19
Walsh, Lilli(R) Rock 15
Warden, Mark(R) Hills 39
Weyler, Kenneth(R) Rock 14
Wherry, Robert(R) Hills 13
Wilson, Vicki(R) Rock 9
Wood, Clayton(R) Merr 13

No — 158

Almy, Susan(D) Graf 17
Ames, Dick(D) Ches 13
Balboni, Peggy(D) Rock 38
Baldwin, Heather(D) Graf 4
Bay, Luz(D) Straf 21
Beauchemin, Paige(D) Hills 3
Berch, Paul(D) Ches 6
Bixby, Peter(D) Straf 13
Bolton, Bill(D) Graf 8
Booras, Efstathia(D) Hills 8
Bricchi, Tracy(D) Merr 15
Budathoki, Suraj(D) Hillsborough 40
Burton, Wayne(D) Straf 10
Butler, Billie(D) Straf 12
Cahill, Michael(D) Rock 10
Caplan, Tony(D) Merr 8
Chourasia, Manoj(D) Hills 11
Chretien, Suzanne(D) Hills 19
Cloutier, John(D) Sull 6
Cormen, Thomas(D) Graf 15
Cornell, Patricia(D) Hills 22
Damon, Hope(D) Sull 8
Darby, Will(D) Hills 11
Dargie, Paul(D) Hills 43
Davis, Fred(D) Hills 3
DiSilvestro, Linda(D) Hills 17
Dolan, William(D) Hills 9
Dupont, Pierre(R) Hills 20
Ebel, Karen(D) Merr 7
Edgar, Michael(D) Rock 29
Elberger, Susan(D) Hills 5
England, Myles(D) Straf 12
Faulkner, Barry(D) Ches 10
Fellows, Sallie(D) Graf 8
Foss, Lily(D) Hills 41
Fox, Dru(D) Ches 2
Foxx, Loren(D) Hills 2
Fracht, David(D) Graf 16
Gallager, Eric(D) Merr 20
Georges, Mary(D) Hills 23
Germana, Nicholas(D) Ches 15
Gibbs, Merryl(D) Merr 23
Gilman, Julie(D) Rock 11
Gilmore, Gary(D) Straf 16
Girard, Dale(R) Sull 6
Grill, Jessica(D) Hills 18
Grote, Jaci(D) Rockingham 24
Gruber, James(D) Ches 16
Grund, Stephanie(D) Hills 34
Hakken-Phillips, Mary(D) Graf 12
Hall, Muriel(D) Merr 9
Harriott-Gathright, Linda(D) Hills 10
Hartnett, Tim(D) Hillsborough 41
Haskins, Linda(D) Rockingham 11
Herbert, Christopher(D) Hills 24
Hicks, Matthew(D) Merr 24
Horrigan, Timothy(D) Straf 10
Howard, Heath(D) Straf 4
Howard, Molly(D) Hills 31
Howland, Allan(D) Straf 20
Jack, Martin(D) Hills 10
Jeudy, Jean(D) Hills 23
Johnson, Erik(D) Straf 11
Jones, Philip(D) Ches 3
Juris, Louis(D) Hills 7
Kelly, Eileen(D) Merr 8
Kerwin, Erin(D) Hills 40
Kluger, Lee Ann(D) Hills 6
Knab, Allison(D) Rock 12
LaMontagne, Jessica(D) Straf 17
Lane, Connie(D) Merr 16
Larochelle, John(D) Straf 19
LeClerc, Daniel(D) Hills 34
Leishman, Peter(D) Hills 33
Levesque, Cassandra(D) Straf 4
Lloyd, Christal(D) Hills 8
Long, Patrick(D) Hills 26
Lovett, Peter(D) Graf 8
Lucas, Janet(D) Graf 7
Luneau, David(D) Merr 9
MacKenzie, Mark(D) Hills 40
Maggiore, Jim(D) Rock 23
Malloy, Dennis(D) Rock 24
Manohar, Sanjeev(D) Hills 9
Manos, Zoe(D) Rock 12
McAleer, Chris(D) Carr 2
McGhee, Kat(D) Hills 35
Meuse, David(D) Rock 37
Miller, Seth(D) Straf 21
Muirhead, Russell(D) Graf 12
Muns, Chris(D) Rock 29
Murphy, Nancy(D) Hills 12
Murray, Alissandra(D) Hills 20
Murray, Kate(D) Rockingham 22
Murray, Megan(D) Hills 37
Nagel, David(D) Belk 6
Newell, Jodi(D) Ches 4
Newman, Ray(D) Hills 4
Newman, Sue(D) Hills 4
Newsom, James(D) Merr 9
O'Rorke, Terri(D) Ches 7
Oppel, Thomas(D) Grafton 9
Paige, David(D) Carr 1
Paige, Mark(D) Rock 11
Palmer, William(D) Sull 2
Paquette, Kathleen(R) Hills 25
Payeur, Stephanie(D) Merr 8
Petrigno, Peter(D) Hills 43
Plamondon, Marc(D) Hills 3
Preece, David(D) Hills 17
Proulx, Mark(R) Hills 15
Raymond, Heather(D) Hills 5
Raynolds, Ned(D) Rock 39
Rockmore, Ellen(D) Graf 12
Rombeau, Catherine(D) Hills 2
Rung, Rosemarie(D) Hills 12
Ryan, Linda(D) Hills 4
Salvi, Santosh(D) Hills 9
Sargent, Gregory(D) Merr 7
Schamberg, Thomas(D) Merr 6
Scherr, Buzz(D) Rock 26
Schmidt, Peter(D) Straf 14
Seibert, Christine(D) Hills 21
Selig, Loren(D) Straf 10
Simpson, Alexis(D) Rock 33
Smith, Geoffrey(D) Straf 21
Smith, Marjorie(D) Straf 10
Snodgrass, Jim(D) Merr 28
Sorensen, Carrie(D) Rock 28
Southworth, Thomas(D) Straf 11
Spahr, Terry(D) Graf 12
Spier, Carry(D) Hills 6
St. Clair, Charlie(D) Belknap 5
Staub, Kathy(D) Hills 25
Stone, John(D) Straf 12
Stringham, Jerry(D) Graf 3
Sullivan, Brian(D) Sull 1
Sullivan, Jared(D) Graf 2
Swanson, Dale(D) Hills 5
Sykes, George(D) Graf 14
Telerski, Laura(D) Hills 11
Tellez, Trinidad(D) Hills 40
Thomas, Wendy(D) Hills 12
Turer, Eric(D) Rock 6
Vail, Suzanne(D) Hillsborough 6
Vallone, Mark(D) Rock 5
Veilleux, Daniel(D) Hills 34
Wade, Alice(D) Straf 15
Wall, Janet(D) Straf 11
Wallner, Mary Jane(D) Merr 19
Ward, Gerald(D) Rock 27
Weber, Lucy(D) Ches 5
Weinstein, Toni(D) Rock 10
Wheeler, Jonah(D) Hills 33
Wilhelm, Matthew(D) Hills 21
Woodcock, Stephen(D) Carr 1
Woods, Gary(D) Merr 30
de Vries, Erica(D) Rock 29

Presiding — 1

Packard, Sherman(R) Rock 16

Excused — 33

Belcher, Mike(R) Carr 4
Brown, Pam(R) Rock 14
Brown, Richard(R) Carr 8
Burnham, Claudine(R) Straf 2
Burroughs, Anita(D) Carr 2
Colby, Eleana(D) Merr 9
Cole, Brian(R) Hills 26
Comtois, Barbara(R) Belk 7
Flanagan, Jack(R) Hills 45
Gregg, Alicia(D) Hills 7
Grossman, Gaby(D) Rock 11
Harrington, Michael(R) Straf 18
Harvey, Cathryn(D) Ches 6
Hegner, Karen(D) Hills 41
Jacobs, Samantha(D) Ches 15
Leavitt, John(R) Merr 10
Mannion, Tim(R) Hills 1
Markell, Jay(R) Rock 18
McMahon, Charles(R) Rock 17
Murphy, Michael(R) Coos 6
Pearson, Wayne(D) Straf 12
Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R) Rock 17
Prout, Andrew(R) Hills 13
Read, Ellen(D) Rock 10
Rice, Kimberly(R) Hills 38
Richards, Beth(D) Merr 17
Roy, Terry(R) Rock 31
Schultz, Kris(D) Merr 29
Sofikitis, Catherine(D) Hills 7
Soucy, Timothy(D) Merr 21
Stavis, Laurel(D) Graf 13
Suiter, John(R) Hills 36
Tierney, James(R) Coos 1

Absent — 14

Ankarberg, Aidan(I) Straf 7
Buco, Thomas(D) Carr 1
Gould, Linda(R) Hills 2
Lascelles, Richard(R) Hills 14
Leapley, Nicole(D) Hills 22
MacKay, James(D) Merr 18
Malone, Amy(D) Straf 9
Morse, Bryan(R) Merr 3
Parshall, Lucius(D) Ches 8
Roesener, James(D) Merr 22
Spillane, James(R) Rock 2
Trottier, Douglas(R) Belk 8
Varney, Peter(R) Belk 7
Walsh, Thomas(R) Merr 10

Committee reports

Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.

Majority — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE

Rep. Keith Erf

One of the primary goals of the state distribution of school funding is the provision of base level per pupil aid to all students of New Hampshire combined with additional aid targeted to less wealthy communities. The two metrics of measuring wealth in the current budget are equalized property value per pupil and the number of students receiving free and reduced lunch. The equalized property value is a measure of the property tax base of a community. The number of students receiving free and reduced lunch is a measure of poverty in the community. This bill would repeal RSA 198:41, I(e), a provision in last year’s FY 26-27 budget bill, which limited the targeted aid component of the annual total education grant to $3,750 per pupil for any municipality with an average daily membership in residence of more than 5,000 students. The argument in favor of this bill is a claim that this took away about $10 million from the total directed to Manchester, that those funds rightfully belong to Manchester, and that they should be restored. This argument ignores a major distortion in the allocation of the state’s education funding benefits embedded in the FY 24-25 budget passed in 2023 that spiked funds to Manchester and other cities with large student populations at the expense of many smaller towns around the state, many of which have even less property value per student to tax. Understanding why this limitation came to pass and why it should not be repealed requires some history and explanation of the mechanics of our complex education funding model. In New Hampshire, the education grant for a given municipality is determined by calculating “the per pupil cost of providing the opportunity for an adequate education” (under RSA 198:40-a, I-III), and then adding two forms of targeted aid, the extraordinary needs grant and the fiscal capacity disparity aid (FCDA) grant. In the spring of 2023 House version of the FY 24-25 budget, which began July 1, 2023, FCDA is restored in order to shift more funds toward those municipalities that have a low equalized value of taxable property per pupil. The Senate’s version of the FY 24-25 budget, however, stripped out FCDA, introducing the new construct of extraordinary needs grants that is based upon the number of students receiving free and reduced lunch in combination with equalized property value per pupil. This change dramatically realigned the allocation of funds across communities. Over the two school years FY24-FY25, Manchester’s per pupil distribution spiked by over 40% while the average of the 35 lowest property value per pupil towns increased by only 7.9%. In 2025, pains were taken in the House’s version of the FY 26-27 budget to restore a modest measure of FCDA to our most property poor towns beginning with FY27 so as not to impact local budgeting for the 25-26 school year which was occurring in spring 2025. This was accomplished by capping the FCDA grants, limiting the total FCDA grants to $13.4 million. This was done, without increasing the total amount dedicated to the targeted aid part of our education funding model, by also capping the extraordinary needs grant to partially draw back on the abnormally high allocation to Manchester. Those provisions were included in the budget as signed by the Governor, together with a provision making up the difference to Manchester from the rainy-day fund for the 26-27 school year giving Manchester more time to adjust to the fairer distribution. With these changes to current law, Manchester’s growth in per pupil aid grows by over 54% from FY24-FY27 projected. At the same time, the aid to those 35 communities benefiting from the new FCDA grant grows at an average of only 15.5%. This bill seeks to remove this fairer distribution for school year 27-28 and beyond. This means Manchester’s per pupil grant continues to grow at a faster rate than any other communities, thus crowding out distributions to other lower property value per pupil communities. This will only decrease the fairness of the system to target aid to the communities where it is needed most. It should be noted that this increasing disparity is unrelated to the source of revenues coming in to the Education Trust Fund. There will always be a limit to available funding and that means Manchester and other large cities will continue to crowd out more and more funding to smaller communities over time. In summary, this biennium’s budget was crafted after careful consideration of all the state’s needs. Manchester is projected to receive a total grant of $125 million in school year 26-27, up 45.8% from the $86 million they received four years ago. The 35 FCDA communities combined are projected to receive $219 million, up from $205 million four years ago, up only 6.7%. If this bill is passed, Manchester will continue receiving growth in aid exceeding that of the lower property value communities year after year, increasing the disparity in aid. Vote 10-8.

Minority — OUGHT TO PASS

Rep. Suzanne Chretien

This bill would remove the cap on targeted aid for the Manchester School District, allowing it to receive the full amount of the extraordinary needs grant that every other district is entitled to and receives. In the 2026-27 state budget, this funding was restored by the Senate with the Governor’s support but only for this biennium. The cap only applies to school districts with over 5,000 students – and that means Manchester. Only Manchester, which educates nearly 12,000 students, meets that threshold. Every child in NH deserves an adequate education regardless of their zip code! Despite 30 13 FEBRUARY 2026 HOUSE RECORD having the greatest student needs in the state, the per pupil cost in Manchester is $17,733, compared to the state average of $21,545. Manchester is a city challenged by significant poverty, with over half the students qualifying for free and reduced meals. At least 25% of Manchester students have individualized education plans (IEPs) and receive benefit from special education services, which we know are costly. Additionally, 20% of the students are from families where English is not their primary language, so they need ELL services. Over seventy languages are spoken by students in the Manchester School District. Many students and their families experience housing insecurity. This means the after school programs, provided by the school district to help with homework, keep children off the streets and safe while their working poor parents are on the job, are essential to these children’s well-being and success. Without targeted aid, the district simply will not be able to sustain these programs. The committee heard strong support from many stakeholders in Manchester and no one spoke against this bill. Online testimony is 96% in favor of Ought to Pass.

Hearings and recordings

Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.

January 20, 2026 at 11:00Education Funding public hearing recording 1:12:47–2:00:29, about 48 min (estimated)
February 6, 2026 at 10:00Education Funding executive session recording 4:33:00–4:33:30, about 0 min (estimated)
February 10, 2026 at 12:45Education Funding executive session recording 5:18:00–5:19:30, about 2 min (estimated)
February 19, 2026House floor debate floor recording

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