$1.5M Heading To 163 NH Communities

CONCORD – An error in Smarter Balanced assessment student data for 2015 and 2016 is resulting in additional funds being sent to local school districts next week. The New Hampshire Department of Education is forwarding $1,483,428 to districts that should have been reimbursed as part of the normal adequacy payment process. In April, Gov. Chris Sununu signed SB 539, a bill that appropriated the funds and facilitated sending the corrected education grants to cities and towns.

The districts will receive $684,498 related to 2015, and $798,930 related to 2016.

In those years, districts should have received differentiated aid for third grade students with attainment below the proficiency cut score on the reading assessment. However, not all students received this aid.

NH DOE Commissioner Frank Edelblut thanked the six sponsors of the bill and said that students can now receive the extra support they need.

“I’m glad that we are able to fix this so that this $1.5 million gets to the schools where it appropriately belonged,” he said. “These funds are an important part of our adequacy funding and will make sure third graders get the support they need to become great readers.”

According to the bill, 163 communities will receive between $689.80 and $110,563.47.

• List of the New Hampshire Communities Receiving the Extra Funds