It also suggests something that might trouble the plaintiffs in the Rand and ConVal school funding suits:

Even if the court does find a piece of the school funding formula unconstitutional, as it did today w/r/t negative tax rates, it might not order a fix directly. #NHPolitics

The ruling does not affect the court's bigger anticipated ruling on the constitutionality of the NH school funding formula. Both the Rand and the ConVal lawsuits are continuing.

But it appears to put to bed the question of whether SWEPT retention by wealthy towns is unconstitutional. #NHPolitics

MacDonald does rule that the "negative tax rate" applied to unincorporated towns by the Dept. of Revenue Administration *does* violate the constitution (and Bassett concurred).

But the majority holds it is up to the Legislature, not the court, to fix this. #NHPolitics