Where's our money going?
- Darryl Hall Jr
- Feb 13
- 2 min read
Pelham,
I'd love to know your thoughts on the following information, which shows that local school tax is almost 60% of our tax bill. School administrators have had the same four goals (belonging, math, reading, retention) for the past 2 years. Where is that money going? Well, based on the Superintendent office's analysis, the FY27 budget consisted of $745,952 of "new requests". Of that total, 42.1% is attributable to the belonging goal, and only 7.7%, 21.9%, and 2.7% are attributable to math, reading, and retention, respectively.
Sure, students should form connections with others and a purpose greater than themselves. We may disagree what that purpose should be, but the numbers here seem to indicate that administrators believe strongly that "belonging" is the highest priority. When we ask them what their plans are, how they're measuring effectiveness, and how "belonging" correlates to educational outcomes, we should get clear, articulable answers. Is that what we're getting now from them? If I'm elected to the Pelham School Board, I will work with administrators and my fellow board members to hold ourselves accountable to the goals we set. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and vote on March 10, 2026!
Based on data from the Town of Pelham Assessor and the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (DRA), the total school tax rates (including both Local and State Education taxes) in Pelham, NH, per $1,000 of assessed property value for the past five years (2021–2025) are as follows:
• 2025: $12.47 ($11.17 Local + $1.30 State)
• 2024: $12.00 ($10.64 Local + $1.36 State)
• 2023: $11.79 ($10.40 Local + $1.39 State)
• 2022: $11.41 ($10.02 Local + $1.39 State)
• 2021: $11.71 ($10.04 Local + $1.67 State) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Key Observations
• Total Tax Increase: The 2025 total tax rate set for Pelham is $19.09 per $1,000, which is an increase of $0.75 from 2024.
• School Tax Composition: The local school tax makes up the largest portion of the total property tax bill (approx. 58% of the total rate in 2025).
• Revaluation Impact: 2021 was a revaluation year for the town.
• Equalization Ratio: As of 2024, the town's equalization ratio was 76.7%, meaning assessed values are below fair market value, often leading to higher tax rates to meet budget requirements. [1, 9, 10, 11]
Note: The 2025 tax rate was released in November 2025. [9]
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