Andrew Cline

3 weeks ago | nhjournal.com | Andrew Cline

(This article first appeared at JBartlett.org)It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and Granite Staters are again being subjected to the claim that teachers here earn less than they should because legislators are stingy. Given current market conditions, average teacher pay in New Hampshire is lower than it should be to recruit the best candidates. But the state’s contribution isn’t the reason.

1 month ago | nhjournal.com | Andrew Cline

This article originally appeared at JBartlett.org. Home building is tough throughout New England, but Massachusetts gives its builders an advantage that builders in New Hampshire don’t enjoy. Massachusetts uses a uniform building code statewide. Builders there know exactly what every town’s code is because they’re all the same. That’s not so in New Hampshire, where municipalities can tack their own rules onto the state building code.

1 month ago | nhjournal.com | Andrew Cline

Note: This analysis is based on the Legislative Budget Assistant’s Surplus Statement published on April 3. Any adjustments made after that date will not be accounted for in this policy brief. A decade’s worth of state revenue growth, primarily from rising business tax collections, has fueled significant state spending increases since 2015, with a particularly large jump coming in the 2024-25 budget. When writing that budget, lawmakers included more than $850 million in new revenues.

2 months ago | nhjournal.com | Andrew Cline

This article originally appeared at JBartlett.org. K-12 public school spending rises every year, whether enrollment increases or decreases. In this century, K-12 district public school enrollment in New Hampshire has fallen by more than 50,000 students, but spending is up by more than $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. How does this happen? The short answer is that local voters prefer to spend more on public schools, regardless of enrollment trends, tax rates or anything else.

2 months ago | jbartlett.org | Andrew Cline

K-12 public school spending rises every year, whether enrollment increases or decreases. In this century, K-12 district public school enrollment in New Hampshire has fallen by more than 50,000 students, but spending is up by more than $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. How does this happen? The short answer is that local voters prefer to spend more on public schools, regardless of enrollment trends, tax rates or anything else.