Revision: Jan. 21, 2026, 9:15 a.m.
HB 1827-FN-A - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2633
07/09
HOUSE BILL 1827-FN-A
SPONSORS: Rep. Ladd, Graf. 5
COMMITTEE: Education Funding
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ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a grant program to support school districts extraordinary needs and fiscal capacity disparities relative to providing an adequate education.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2633
07/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Education; Adequate Education; Education Trust Fund; Education Grant Program; Plan and Accountability. Amend RSA 198 by inserting after section 42 the following new section:
198:42-a Education Grant Program; Plan and Accountability.
I. The grant program, pursuant to RSA 198:40-f and RSA 198:40-g, shall be designed to provide funding assistance to eligible school districts in support of academic growth and achievement in grades K-12. Grant recipients may expend grant funds in a manner which best fits local education need. Grant funds shall not be restricted or targeted to any specific group.
II. A school district receiving grant award funds pursuant to RSA 198:40-f and RSA 198:40-g shall submit to the department of education a plan identifying essential programs and accountability indicators, considering educational needs and at what grade levels grant funds will be used. Grant accountability plans shall demonstrate instructional and curriculum approaches designed to contribute to academic achievement and growth. Initial grant awards shall be approved by the department and awarded for a 5-year timeframe. The department of education shall annually compute the amount of the grant. A cooperative school district that enrolls students in grades K-12 shall inform the department of education of the individual member communities that qualify for the grant program and number of students enrolled in the cooperative school district from each qualifying community. Such procedure shall also apply to schools with tuition agreements. Where a cooperative school district serves only certain grade spans, the member communities shall be eligible to apply for grant program support for their schools that exist outside the cooperative district. The cooperative district shall also inform the department of education of the number of students from grant eligible communities attending the cooperative school district and apply for the grant. This procedure shall also apply to schools with tuition agreements.
III. The school district shall annually use the statewide assessment, or, in consultation with the department, develop and administer its own standardized accountability grant assessment that identifies a range of learning and yields objective data showing progress toward academic growth and achievement attributable to grant funds. The school district shall submit to the department an annual grant accountability progress report on January 15 of every even numbered year covering the indicators set forth in the district's grant accountability plan, to include district progress on indicators set forth in the delivery of an adequate education pursuant to RSA 193-E:3. The commissioner shall withhold grant funds from a school district until such time when the completed annual grant accountability report is submitted to the department in accordance with established department protocols and timelines.
IV. The state board of education may adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, to implement this section.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2027.
26-2633
Revised 1/20/26
HB 1827-FN-A- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT: This bill does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions.
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | $0 | Grants to Districts Indeterminable
DOE Position $120K in FY 28 and $123K in FY 29 | |||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund and Education Trust Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
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Estimated Political Subdivision Impact | ||||||
| FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | FY 2029 | ||
Local Revenue | $0 | $0 | Indeterminable | |||
Local Expenditures | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill, effective in FY 2028 (school year 2027-2028), requires districts to submit an accountability plan and monitor progress toward academic growth to receive targeted aid as identified in RSAs 198:40-f and 198:40-g. The monitoring must identify progress toward academic achievement growth and achievement attributable to the targeted aid grant. Districts failing to comply with this bill shall not receive the targeted aid grant until compliance is achieved.
The Department of Education states that connecting targeted aid to accountability plans was previously introduced in FY 2023 adequacy and required accountability plans for districts to receive this targeted aid. In FY 2023, seven out of the 115 municipalities eligible for targeted aid did not submit accountability plans, and therefore did not receive the targeted aid. This resulted in approximately $293K out of $14.6M, or 2%, of eligible aid not being issued. Targeted aid in FY 2027 is approximately $169M in funding. Assuming around 2 percent of eligible awards are not allocated due to a lack of compliant accountability plans, then approximately $3M in targeted aid would not be distributed. Ultimately, it is unknown whether districts may not comply and how much in aid may not be distributed.
The Department states it would need to hire an instruction coordinator (SOC 25-07, starting step 5) to review and track the accountability plans submitted. The estimated cost for this position, assuming a start date of July 1, 2027, is $120,000 in FY 2028 and $123,000 in FY 2029. This bill provides neither authorization nor appropriation for new personnel.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education