Throughout the budget process this year, there has been one topic covered more than practically anything else – education funding. Why? Apparently Gov. Chris Sununu is against it, according to educators and Democrats. Yes, Sununu vetoed a budget containing more funding for education. Did he veto the budget because of education funding? No, and to argue so shows a lack of understanding about the entire situation. The governor has even publically said his reasons for vetoing the budget – the proposed tax increase and the nearly $100 million deficit the budget would create – neither of which are education funding.

Many in our state believe that schools should be funded properly. After all, schools impact the future that our kids have. However, we must be smart in how we fund schools across the state. Throwing cash at them to do whatever they wish with doesn’t seem like a wise idea. We should invest in programs like the governor’s proposal for school building aid, so that we know what our money is going directly toward.

Furthermore, throwing money at the problem just encourages reckless spending – if schools are not responsible, they will create situations in which they find themselves needing even more funding in just a few years. The state would still be unable to help since it would be recovering from the deficit in this budget, so it is likely that property taxes would increase – the opposite of what everyone wants. The governor’s veto wasn’t about education funding, it was about responsible spending.

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