This bill revises the budget adoption procedures for school administrative units (SAUs) by repealing the alternative budget procedures previously established under RSA 194-C:9-b. It mandates that the warrant article for the SAU budget be placed at the beginning of the school district warrant, following any articles proposing bonds or notes. A key insertion in the bill specifies that single-district SAUs must adopt a budget and conduct public hearings, while also clarifying the budget adoption process for SAUs with multiple districts, including how budgets should be apportioned based on attendance and equalized valuation. The SAU budget must be presented as a separate warrant article at each district's annual meeting to enhance transparency.

Additionally, the bill introduces new provisions stating that if a warrant article does not receive a majority vote from all school district voters, the budget will revert to the previous year's amount, adjusted for continuing contracts but excluding pay increases or new positions. Voting will be conducted by paper ballot, with results announced at the annual meeting, and it outlines procedures for ballot delivery, recording, and recounts if requested. The bill also repeals existing provisions related to alternative budget adoption procedures under RSAs 194-C:9-a and 194-C:9-b, clarifying that the new rules will apply to existing budget caps without requiring local amendments. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 32:5-e, 189:76, 194-C:3, 194-C:9