New Hampshire ranks dead last in state funding for public schools. When the federal government cuts funding, the costs don’t disappear. They land on towns, and towns push them onto families. Here’s where it gets specific: Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act over fifty years ago and promised to cover 40% of special education costs. It has never come close. Special education is now one of the single largest cost drivers in local school budgets, and these costs are federally mandated and almost entirely paid by local property taxpayers. Hampton’s budget just failed for the second time in four years because residents can’t take another increase. The problem isn’t with the people. It’s with leaders who pass laws and then pass the buck. Carleigh will fight to fully fund IDEA, lowering property taxes and getting kids the education they deserve.