The Claremont Decision Five Years Later

By Trish Anderton on Tuesday, December 17, 2002.

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Five years ago the New Hampshire supreme court declared the state must fund an adequate education for every child. The decision was known as Claremont 2. Its aim was to make the state tax structure fairer, and to improve schools. NHPR’s Trish Anderton recently visited Lisbon, one of the five communities that filed the Claremont lawsuit. She found that even though extra money is now coming in from the state, questions about what kind of school the community should have, and how much it should cost, are not getting easier.

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WITH ITS CHURCHES, MILL BUILDINGS, AND A FEW SPLENDID VICTORIAN HOUSES, LISBON HAS THE MAKINGS OF A CLASSIC NORTH COUNTRY TOWN. BUT IF YOU STAND ON MAIN STREET, YOU CAN TELL THIS SLEEPY VILLAGE IS A LITTLE TOO SLEEPY. THE CARS GOING BY DON’T USUALLY STOP. THEY’RE HEADING EAST TOWARD LITTLETON AND FRANCONIA, OR WEST TO VERMONT.
WITHIN A ONE BLOCK AREA, THREE RESTAURANTS SIT EMPTY.

18 143 we had five but within a year we lost them all but two

STEVE PICKENS SITS AMONG OLD GUN CABINETS, A POOL TABLE AND OTHER ASSORTED FURNITURE IN HIS STORE, PICKENS MERCHANDISE OUTLET. HE SAYS THE PEOPLE WHO OPENED RESTAURANTS HERE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMY OF A SMALL NORTHERN TOWN.

In my opinion there wasn’t enogh people to patronize them all. I think they thought they were gonna get rich here. I’ve been here all my life and I think if you can make a living here that’s the best you’re gonna do.

PICKENS SAYS LISBON SUFFERS FROM A CATCH-22 OF HIGH TAXES AND A SMALL COMMERCIAL BASE. IT’S HARD TO LURE BUSINESSES TO TOWN BECAUSE OF THE TAX RATE, AND IT’S HARD TO BRING THE RATE DOWN WITHOUT MORE BUSINESSES. AS THE TAX RATE SOARS, LIVING IN THE TOWN BECOMES LESS DESIRABLE, AND PROPERTY VALUES FALL. WHEN PROPERTY VALUES FALL, THE TOWN HAS TO HIKE TAXES EVEN MORE JUST TO MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. THAT’S THE VICIOUS CYCLE THE CLAREMONT SUIT TRIED TO ADDRESS. REGAN PRIDE IS THE CHAIR OF LISBON’S SELECT BOARD. HE SAYS THE LAWSUIT HELPED THE TAX RATE – BRIEFLY.

I think when claremt first came out and the reshuffling of taxes occurred, we saw a little tax relief. I think in past three years we’ve probably eclipsed what relief we did see.

IN 1999, THE LEGISLATURE PASSED A STATEWIDE PROPERTY TAX THAT TOOK MONEY FROM TOWNS WITH LOW TAX RATES AND SENT IT TO TOWNS LIKE LISBON. BEFORE THE STATEWIDE TAX, LISBON’S PROPERTY TAX RATE WAS 32.46, PLACING IT AMONG THE FIFTY HIGHEST IN THE STATE. DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THE NEW TAX, THE RATE DROPPED BY MORE THAN FIVE DOLLARS. SINCE THEN IT’S CREPT BACK UP. NOW IT HOVERS AT ABOUT 30 DOLLARS, AND LISBON IS BACK IN THE TOP FIFTY.

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IF TAXPAYERS HERE WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEIR MONEY GOES, THEY ONLY HAVE TO LOOK NORTHWEST? UP THE HILL FROM MAIN STREET. ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF LISBON’S BUDGET GOES INTO ITS SCHOOL. UNLIKE THE SCHOOLS IN SOME OF THE OTHER PLAINTIFF TOWNS, LISBON REGIONAL IS CLEAN, PLEASANT, AND NEW. THE TOWN PUT UP THIS BUILDING IN 1993. PRINCIPAL BOB BUTSON SAYS THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING HERE.

if you come over here one of the areas we’re really pleased with … this is a pre engineering pgm …

LISBON IS ONE OF JUST SIX SCHOOLS IN THE STATE TO OFFER THIS FOUR-YEAR ENGINEERING COURSE. NEXT BUTSON WALKS DOWN THE HALL TO A SET OF HEAVY DOORS THAT GUARD THE GYM.

Which for a school our size I think youll notice that the … is a very very pleasant to look at and for our class of school very large gymnasium.

PHYS ED STUDENTS RUN LAPS AROUND THE GLEAMING WOODEN FLOOR. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER JOHN FITZGERALD SAYS THIS GYM IS ONE REASON WHY THE SCHOOL IS SO IMPORTANT TO LISBON. BASKETBALL GAMES AND STUDENT CONCERTS ARE A FOCUS OF COMMUNITY LIFE. WITHOUT THE SCHOOL, FITZGERALD ARGUES, LISBON MIGHT REALLY DECLINE.

A lot of people would have to contemplate whether they want to stay in town or move to where the school is. This is our entertainment. The hi school athletics, the xmas concert, that’s what you do in our commties.

FOR PEOPLE LIKE FITZGERALD AND BUTSON, THE SCHOOL IS A GOOD INVESTMENT. BOB BUTSON ARGUES A WELL-RESPECTED SCHOOL CHANGES A COMMUNITY’S IMAGE. HE POINTS TO THE IMPACT OF THAT FOUR-YEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAM, WHICH DRAWS STUDENTS FROM NEARBY TOWNS TO LISBON.

it has changed the image of Lisbon. These stus have met our stus, Lisbon is not just the left behind. We have something that’s special, and I think the perception is very diff.

BUTSON SAYS THE SCHOOL IS PROVIDING THOSE SPECIAL THINGS AS INEXPENSIVELY AS POSSIBLE. THE ENGINEERING PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, IS PAID FOR ENTIRELY BY A GRANT. THE BLEACHERS IN THE GYM WERE SPONSORED BY A LOCAL BUSINESS. BUT CREATIVE FINANCING ONLY GOES SO FAR. THE TOWN IS PAYING FOR EXTRAS LIKE A SECOND MUSIC TEACHER AND A GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM. SELECTMAN WALLIE BARRY WONDERS WHETHER ALL THE SPENDING IS NECESSARY.

I still think if you can read and write and have a little arithmetic and common sense, you can get thru life pretty well. I’m not saying we shdn’t be broadened, and progress is a wonderful thing, but it has a price tag. How fast do you want to move?

BARRY ISN’T THE ONLY ONE WONDERING.

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BACK DOWN ON MAIN STREET, CAGED PARAKEETS CHIRP WHEN A CUSTOMER WALKS INTO THE PAWS R US PET STORE. ADRIENNE ROCHON CO-OWNS THIS STORE WITH HER PARTNER. THEY MOVED HERE TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. ROCHON SAYS SHE’S ASTONISHED BY THE TAX RATE.

002 00 I can’t understand because look around at Lisbon, we don’t have gorgeous facades or anything. I can’t even imagine why. All I’ve heard from my inlaws is it’s the school. They had to have that brand new school and the taxes went sky high.

ROCHON SAYS THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION TO SEE HOW THE TOWN SPENDS TAXPAYER MONEY. SHE ACKNOWLEDGES VOTERS HAVE TO APPROVE THAT SPENDING. BUT SHE SAYS AN ELITE CLASS OF PEOPLE CONTROL THE AGENDA.

It’s the people who have all the money that are over their voting. The average joe really isn’t voting. Their attitude is why bother. Our voice isn’t heard.

ACROSS THE STREET AT THE MERCHANDISE OUTLET, STEVE PICKENS AGREES.
HE TOO SUSPECTS THE TOWN IS WASTING THE MONEY FROM THE CLAREMONT CASE.

**17 103 they started talking about building a new commty center, a new swimming pool, so whatever we got it looked like it was getting ate up again anyway. All in all we weren’t saving anything.

TOWN OFFICIALS SAY THOSE PROJECTS DID GET TALKED ABOUT. BUT THEY SAY THEY NEVER GOT FUNDED. NONETHELESS, most voters in the town went along with SPENDING increases that pushed up BOTH THE TOWN AND SCHOOL BUDGETS BETWEEN 1999 AND 2001.

Five years after Claremont, Lisbon still wrestles with its tax rate.

A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THAT GROWTH WAS DRIVEN BY COSTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO AVOID, LIKE TEACHER PAY RAISES AND LANDFILL FEES. SOME OF IT WENT TO THE ALWAYS-DEBATABLE ITEMS LIKE TRUCKS FOR THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT. WHILE THERE MAY BE HIDDEN INEFFICIENCIES, THERE’S NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF GLARING WASTE. BUT WHETHER THE TOWN SQUANDERS MONEY OR NOT, DISTRUST AND ALIENATION COULD HAMPER LISBON’S ABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD.

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IN SPITE OF THE DISCORD OVER SCHOOLS AND SPENDING, MOST PEOPLE IN LISBON SAY THEY SEE SIGNS OF PROGRESS. THE TOWN HAS LAUNCHED A MAIN STREET PROGRAM TO ATTRACT MORE BUSINESSES HERE TO THE DOWNTOWN. IT’S ALSO JOINED TOGETHER WITH NIEGHBORING TOWNS TO WORK TOGETHER ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THEY’RE HOPEFUL THOSE EFFORTS WILL BEAR FRUIT, REGARDLESS OF THE STATE’S EDUCATION FUNDING POLICY. FOR NHPR NEWS I’M