Gov. Chris Sununu is heading to an elementary school to sign a bill that achieves one of his top priorities: state funding for full-day kindergarten.
Sununu, a Republican, initially proposed an $18 million-per-year, need-based grant system that would've funded programs for districts with a lot of low-income families but wouldn't have covered the full costs elsewhere. Lawmakers instead approved partial funding and the use of the keno lottery game to pay for it.
The state currently pays half its standard per-student amount for kindergarten pupils, or about $1,800. Under the new law, the state will provide an additional $1,100 per full-day kindergarten student starting in 2019 and more in later years if keno revenues exceed expectations.
Sununu is signing the bill Wednesday at Penacook Elementary School.