**Before we get to our warrant article about open enrollment, the NH House has a bill on the table that will be voted on this Thursday that make all schools in NH subject to open enrollment. This would remove local control from Claremont and other school districts, require us to pay 100% of the cost of sending a student to another district, and force us to allow any number of students into our schools, regardless of capacity. Please call you representatives and tell them that Claremont deserves to be able to spend out taxes on Claremont, not other districts.**

In October, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that unless a school department voted on how to manage open enrollment, the school district would be responsible for 80% of the cost of students going to another district. In addition, there was no cap on how many students could transfer into a school district. Our warrant article gives Claremont control instead of being subject to this court ruling.

Without making our own policies, if a student chose to go to a school other than Claremont, the taxpayers would be responsible for paying 80% of the cost. This would reduce the amount of money available for our schools and Claremont taxpayers would be paying to help fund a different town.

For instance, if Claremont doesn’t have a policy, this is roughly how the money would work if students want to transfer to another town:

• Average cost per student in New Hampshire: $21,545
• 80% of that cost per student: $17,236
• If just six students leave, Claremont taxpayers pay $100,000 to another town or towns
• If one first grader leaves the Claremont school district and is in school in another town, Claremont taxpayers will pay another town more than $206,000 over the course of that student’s education. That’s based on current costs per student.

What does the warrant article mean?

If we officially become an open enrollment school, students can still choose other schools, but we will not be forced to send Claremont’s money to other towns. We will also limit the number of students who can choose to come to Claremont, allowing us better control over our resources, our budget, and our spending.

Choosing another school works the way it has always worked: going to another school district is not funded by local taxes. Students’ families can pay to go to another school district. They can still apply for state vouchers and other aid, but Claremont’s money stays in Claremont.*

*This doesn’t apply to special education students for whom we currently do not have services.