But so far, they've had limited success on either front.

In December 1997, the state supreme court ruled that it is the state's responsibility to ensure an adequate public education for students as well as an adequate level of resources. The court also found that the property tax that local districts use to pay for schools is really a state tax and, as such, is disproportionate and unreasonable.

New Hampshire has had limited success in revising its finance system or making schools more accountable.

Following the court's ruling, Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, introduced her Advancing Better Classrooms plan, which sought to address the finance issue and to promote several other education reforms, including greater accountability for performance.

The House passed a modified version of the bill early last summer. But at the request of the Senate--which, like the House was controlled by Republicans before last November's elections--the court provided an advisory opinion that found the governor's finance scheme would violate the state constitution because it would allow continued variations in the property-tax rate.

Ultimately, the plan died, along with other proposals to address the state's finance problems.

extension of the deadline it had set to fix the school finance system.

The plaintiff districts, meanwhile, had asked the court to enact a plan to place state funding in receivership, essentially allowing the court to take money from the state treasury and give it to the schools, if the legislature failed to meet the original April 1 deadline.

In November, the court rejected both proposals, making it clear it expects the governor and legislature to meet the April 1 deadline.

"Absent extraordinary circumstances, delay in achieving a constitutional system is inexcusable," the November court order said.

State officials say the public is anxious to see the conflict over the finance system resolved once and for all. Commissioner of Education Elizabeth Twomey says, "The general, consistent opinion of the public has been 'Fix it. Fix it permanently.' "

"It's the 900-pound gorilla in New Hampshire education politics," agrees Dennis Murphy, the director of public affairs for the state affiliate of the National Education Association.

Some observers are hopeful that last fall's election of a Democratic-majority Senate will expand the state's options. "What we're hoping is there will be sufficient new members in the Senate who do understand they need to work on the problem," says Twomey.

While the governor's Advancing Better Classrooms plan for school finance and accountability was "gutted," a couple of new accountability measures did survive in an education bill that was passed in September, says Judy E. Reardon, the legal counsel for the governor.

Starting in the 1999-2000 school year, districts must meet new reporting requirements. They'll have to report on such indicators as student-attendance rates and whether young people find jobs or continue their educations after graduating from high school. By December of 2000, the department of education will provide an annual report card on the quality of education in individual schools and districts.

The state already reports on the results from statewide tests that are given each spring.

One accountability measure proposed by the governor that didn't make it into law, and is "a loss," according to Twomey, was a plan for the state to recognize districts that met or exceeded their own quality standards. Such districts would have been eligible to receive additional state funds to enhance and disseminate best practices.

Districts that did not meet their performance standards would have been designated "in need of assistance." The education department would then have worked with local education officials to prepare a corrective-action plan and provide increasing levels of technical assistance.

State education officials are reviewing standards for teachers and re-examining the current requirements for how they are prepared and licensed. The state board voted in 1998 to nearly double, from 40 to 75, the number of professional-development hours that teachers must earn every three years in order to be recertified.

Last September, for the first time, new teachers in New Hampshire were required to pass a basic-skills test to earn a teaching license.

Beginning in September of this year, they also will have to pass assessments of subject-matter competence.

"It's important for teachers to demonstrate basic skills, but taking the test does not guarantee that you have a good teacher," Twomey says.

"Teachers [in New Hampshire] have been abused by the political system. They've been blamed for the failures and given no credit for the successes," says Murphy of the NEA-New Hampshire. "To the extent that a test can increase public confidence, we support it."

The education department also is conducting a survey to determine how much time teachers spend teaching a subject outside of their area of expertise. Although state officials are considering different proposals for addressing the problem, Murphy says he fears that voters aren't prepared to deal with the long-term costs of paying for more highly qualified teachers.

Although New Hampshire passed a law in 1995 permitting the creation of charter schools, none is yet up and running. Without state or federal money to support them, Twomey says, it will be a tough haul for charter schools in the state.

The independent public schools must gain approval from a local school board and compete with public schools in the community for a share of funds.

On the other hand, 1997 legislation providing state aid for kindergarten has spurred substantial activity.

All but five of New Hampshire's districts have made some movement toward providing kindergarten: either offering it, working on proposals, conducting studies, or seeking assistance from the education department.

According to the governor's office, more schools are offering kindergarten than ever before. Since the 1997 legislation was passed, enrollment in public kindergartens has increased by 965 students, from 8,305 to 9,270.