HB773 Relative to aid to school districts for the cost of special education.
Relative to aid to school districts for the cost of special education.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Mixed
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
Removes proration caps and guarantees minimum 80% funding for catastrophic special education costs, reducing the financial burden on individual school districts that must cover gaps; funded through education trust fund with general fund backup, spreading costs predictably.
Your Community
School districts with high-cost special education students receive more reliable and substantial state aid, improving their ability to meet legal obligations without devastating local budgets or cutting other programs.
Your Freedom
No direct impact on individual rights or local control; this is a state funding mechanism for a federally mandated service.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 01/07/2026 House Journal 1 P. 73
Sponsor
Roderick Ladd (R)
The Short Version
This bill guarantees that school districts qualify for at least 80% of their entitled catastrophic special education funding in any given year, rather than having all funding prorated equally when state appropriations fall short. It also establishes a permanent funding stream from the education trust fund to cover these obligations, with automatic transfers from the general fund if needed.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ School districts with students requiring catastrophic special education services (defined as costs exceeding 3.5x state average per-pupil expenditure)
- ▲ Small and rural districts most vulnerable to budget strain from single high-cost students
- ▲ Students with severe disabilities and their families, through more stable special education services
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ State general fund, which must cover shortfalls if education trust fund runs negative
- ▼ Taxpayers broadly, as state must guarantee these disbursements regardless of available balance
Bill statuses as of October 7, 2026. Check LegiScan or NH General Court for the latest.
This bill was auto-scored using AI analysis of the bill text and legislative data. Scores may be refined as we review more bills.