SOURCE: WMUR

CONCORD, N.H. -- A group of towns that successfully won a lawsuit against the state over school funding has come out against the governor's proposed education constitutional amendment.

The new opposition came a week after the National Education Association announced that it opposed the measure.

Gov. John Lynch's proposed amendment would promise to pay at least 50 percent of an adequate education in each community, but it would allow targeted aid to towns in need.

Critics said the amendment won't improve education, won't stop lawsuits and will actually pay for about 25 percent of total costs.

"I think the amendment is nothing more than a distraction from what we should be doing," Londonderry Superintendent Nate Greenburg said.

Lynch spokesman Colin Manning said that the amendment is the best way for the state to fix its school funding problems after the state Supreme Court ruled that the previous system was unconstitutional.

"We need to direct funds to communities that need it the most," Manning said. "It's the best policy for our state and for our kids."

The Senate has passed the governor's proposal, and House hearings on the amendment begin Thursday morning. Sixty percent of House members, or 239, would need to vote for the amendment for it to pass.