August 4, 2026 | Top Stories from the House Republican Newsletter
Capping School Budget Growth (and Property Taxes) the Massachusetts Way
With the passage into law of House Bill 1300, voters this fall will have the opportunity to cap their local school district budget increases and administration spending. How would this work?
Josiah Bartlett Center President Andrew Cline wrote in NH Journal in May about the strange fact that Massachusetts has a statewide property tax cap, but New Hampshire does not. The compromise version of House Bill 1300 contains a tax cap and a limitation on school administration. The tax cap portion bears notable similarities to the one that Massachusetts adopted in 1980.
https://nhjournal.com/capping-school-budget-growth-and-property-taxes-the-massachusetts-way/
Claremont Crisis 2.0: Teacher Shortage Threatens Middle School Opening
Just one year after a $5 million financial disaster nearly prevented Claremont schools from opening, the dysfunctional district is facing a new threat: a severe staffing shortage that could prevent its middle school from opening.
New Superintendent Tim Broadrick, who will be paid $182,500 in the first year of his contract, has informed parents and community members that the shortage of teachers in SAU 6 is dire.
“I am of the genuine concern that there may not be enough full-time educators at Claremont Middle School (CMS) to safely open the school this fall,” Broadrick said in an email last week announcing a new hire. “In a public meeting during May or June, I implored anyone in the community who was willing to work at the middle school, and who might be eligible to become certified in any way, to please reach out to talk about the possibility of working at CMS.”
https://nhjournal.com/claremont-crisis-2-0-teacher-shortage-threatens-middle-school-opening/
Teachers satisfied with cellphone bans, but policy is not ‘silver bullet’
For years, Manchester High School’s policy required students to put phones away in class, but allowed them to be taken out in the cafeteria. Students could use headphones or earbuds while eating lunch, but only over or in one ear.
Then, in 2025, lawmakers passed a law championed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte that required schools to ban the devices for the whole day: “bell-to-bell.” With some reservations, Manchester’s Board of School Committee changed the policy last August, and the cafeteria exception disappeared.
It’s a social experiment that has played out in schools across the state; the state law required the policies in place for the 2025-26 school year. And last week, state officials received early validation. A Department of Education survey of 1,399 New Hampshire teachers and administrators serving grades six to 12 has found that the law is working, and that educators are broadly satisfied. Three-quarters of teachers said in spring they have seen cellphone use in classrooms either “rarely” or “never” since the ban.
STATE GOVERNMENT IN THE NEWS:
NH Senate clerk Tammy Wright retires, marking end of an era in Concord
https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-senate-clerk-tammy-wright-retires/73338076
Shannon Bouchard: Transparency delayed is accountability denied
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/shannon-bouchard-transparency-delayed-is-accountability-denied/article_01dac6f6-f712-40cb-bf3c-4d7af714e789.html
Sharon Sernik: Howard continues a dangerous tradition
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/sharon-sernik-howard-continues-a-dangerous-tradition/article_cf9860df-dd03-4d53-b1a0-9b738fe23144.html
New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute: State-mandated budget reductions affect health programs, with larger cuts likely ahead
https://www.nhbr.com/state-mandated-budget-reductions-affect-health-programs-with-larger-cuts-likely-ahead/
Record Pro-GOP Liberty Alliance Ratings by NHLA Draw Mixed Reactions
https://indepthnh.org/2026/08/03/record-pro-gop-liberty-alliance-ratings-by-nhla-draw-mixed-reactions/
NATIONAL STORIES:
New Hampshire among states to reach possible $400 million settlement
https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-sandoz-inc-settlement/73338856
Best & worst case scenarios facing the New Hampshire primary | CloseUp
https://www.wmur.com/article/best-worst-case-scenarios-new-hampshire-primary-closeup/73335201
Man accused of arson in the biggest of 3 major fires in Spokane, Washington
https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/wildfires/man-accused-arson-spokane-washington-fires-rcna590686
Trump hails talks with Iran as cargo ship struck in Strait of Hormuz
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/trump-iran-clash-hormuz-talks-cargo-ship-attacked-rcna590727
25 Democrat-led states sue Trump over new tariffs, calling them illegal end run around Supreme Court
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/25-democrat-led-states-sue-trump-over-new-tariffs-calling-them-illegal-end-run-around-supreme-court
US soybean farmers race to meet global demand as farmland shrinks
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/soybean-demand-shrinking-us-farmland
Mary Jane Beauregard: Socialism is a sin and a death sentence for America
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/mary-jane-beauregard-socialism-is-a-sin-and-a-death-sentence-for-america/article_5dd566ea-6124-47bb-82b0-66b1a4e219d9.html
Bessent says there may be deal Tuesday or Wednesday to open Strait of Hormuz with ‘freedom of movement’
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/bessent-says-there-may-be-deal-tuesday-or-wednesday-to-open-strait-of-hormuz-with-freedom-of-movement.html
Trump and Republicans brand Democrats ‘communists’ amid progressive push
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/trump-election-republicans-democrats-communist.html
Trump says Pirro ‘folded like an umbrella’ in bid to drop Reflecting Pool vandalism charges
https://apnews.com/article/trump-reflecting-pool-pirro-vandalism-criticism-c7aabcf59e87651dd7be0b322b5460b1
Cargo ship reports being struck in Strait of Hormuz as US, Iran claims about talks diverge
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-mideast-gaza-israel-palestinians-ff5f13230ab92b5ae3022f45b2585444
LARKIN: America Is Making Progress on Suicide. Veterans Can’t Be Left Behind.
https://nhjournal.com/larkin-america-is-making-progress-on-suicide-veterans-cant-be-left-behind/
ADDITIONAL STORIES:
Hudson woman faces 17 charges related to animal cruelty
https://www.wmur.com/article/hudson-animal-cruelty-charges/73339215
NH water utilities increase security in response to cyberattacks in other states
https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2026-08-03/nh-water-utilities-increase-security-in-response-to-cyberattacks-in-other-states
Man wants to withdraw 'no contest' plea for charge in baby's drowning
https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/man-wants-to-withdraw-no-contest-plea-for-charge-in-babys-drowning/article_3d4f6f33-ff27-4426-873b-00e49fd51063.html
Hooksett scrambles to fill three top vacant posts: assessor, engineer, planner
https://www.unionleader.com/news/local/hooksett/hooksett-scrambles-to-fill-three-top-vacant-posts-assessor-engineer-planner/article_0091ca1b-4153-4426-bdf1-508f6c79db3a.html
From slavery to female political leaders, New Hampshire has long been a regional outlier — for better or worse
https://www.concordmonitor.com/2026/08/03/new-hampshire-political-outlier/