Shall the School District vote to raise and appropriate funds in the amount of $65,308 to provide child benefit services, in accordance with RSA 189:49, for students who are residents of the Hampton School District and attend Sacred Heart School located in Hampton, New Hampshire? BY PETITION. (Majority vote required.)
What it means: Sacred Heart School is a private school in Hampton. Some Hampton students attend Sacred Heart as opposed to attending the Hampton public schools. This Article asks for an offset for child benefit services in lieu of the taxpayers paying for the students to attend public school. The amount sought is $4,234 less than the amount requested in 2021, last year’s number having been inflated due to pandemic-related enrollment changes.
Those in favor say: These students would otherwise be attending the public schools at an average cost per student of $15,000. These funds help to cover a nurse, educational technology, supplies and textbooks. Funds are not used for any religious purposes.
Those against say: Some people have expressed concerns about supporting a religious organization, even if the funds are not specifically used for religious purposes. Others feel that any funds raised by such an Article should be shared by any private school in the Town.
Fiscal Impact: A Hampton home valued at $400,000 would bear an increased tax cost of $6.70 in 2022 if this Article passes. Take your property valuation divided by 1000 and multiplied by .017 to get your cost. The funding request is less than last year, so there is a slight decrease versus your last tax bill.