Rep. Aylward: HEADS UP! What voters need to know now!

SDGANH - School District Governance Association of NH

Tripling Down on Expensive Leases in 2026 - Newfound Regional School District - 3 leases for fixtures with "escape clauses" $1.2M, $1.1M, and $6.2M by Eric Pauer, President, SDGANH

In your Newfound Regional School District, these latest proposed leases of equipment that become fixtures are classic examples of the expensive misuse of RSA 33:7-e by school districts.

Newfound taxpayers are being sold the illusion of “saving money,” yet these Green New Deal–style leases are some of the most expensive financing mechanisms available.

Even the school board won’t guarantee that taxpayers will ever recover their investment—hiding behind the vague disclaimer “partially funded from annual energy savings.” They’re admitting upfront that the numbers don’t add up.

To make matters worse, they’re relying on the “escape clause” to squeeze these deals through the RSA 33:7‑e loophole—paying more for an escape clause that, in practice, is impossible to use.

And by using RSA 33:7-e, all it takes is a simple majority vote to lock the district into 20 years of this spending. If these $8.4M projects were financed with traditional bonds, taxpayers would save more than $2M in interest alone. Instead, they’re being steered into the most expensive option.

This is exactly why we need HB 1066 "relative to warrant articles authorizing lease agreements". It stops school districts from easily being taken advantage of by these predatory lease arrangements—an obvious defect in current law that is driving unsustainable school spending and fueling runaway property taxes.

For such leases, this bill will require a public hearing and approval by 3/5 ballot vote like a bond--neither is required under current law.

New Hampshire taxpayers need protection, and HB 1066 is a big part of the solution, which directly aligns with "Lower Property Taxes and Spending" in the Contract with New Hampshire -- we need OTP/A on this important bill next week.

Regards,

Eric Pauer

Brookline