The Last Bake Sale

Readers’ Comments:

—Peter Greene, Forbes Magazine

“Set in a national, historical context of education funding, Volinsky offers a personal, insider’s account of New Hampshire’s seemingly perennial challenge of determining what the State is constitutionally required to provide and how it should be funded. His insights, and his suggested solutions, will continue to ensure the issues are at the forefront of our public policy discussions.”

—Stephen Reno, retired Chancellor University of New Hampshire System, retired Executive Director Leadership NH

“Andru Volinsky tells the sordid tale of unequal funding of public schools in America from Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954 to the present. He pays special attention to the unique case of New Hampshire where Volinsky has played a central role as a lead attorney in the fight for over three decades. He provides a lively documentation of the tenacious legal battles community organizers and lawyers across the country – often working in concert – have waged to change an unjust system rooted in racial and class animus that protects privilege. Political lessons abound in this story for how to use the law to bring about social change.”

—Douglas Challenger, Professor of Sociology, Franklin Pierce University

“Volinsky’s book describes how strategic litigation and community engagement are instrumental to creating the political will necessary to address systemic failures in school funding for the benefit of the children attending public schools and our democracy. He has been a tireless and outspoken advocate for fully funding public education for all children. Few people understand as well as Volinsky the inequities in educational opportunity that are created by current school funding schemes.”

—Daniel McNeil, General Counsel, American Federation of Teachers

“Andru Volinsky is the Progressive conscience of New Hampshire. His decades long work to improve how New Hampshire funds its schools is only part of his story. He’s also led the way in challenging income inequality and breaking the stranglehold that William Loeb and his Pledge have had on politicians in his state. Last Bake Sale is a very readable account of the Claremont School Funding case and the factors that led to the problems faced by Claremont and towns like it across the country.”

—Ro Khanna, Congressman (D- California 17th District-Silicon Valley)

“Wow, just wow! Andru Volinsky exposes the quagmire of education funding in New Hampshire–Augenblick, Claremont, the Pledge, the Free State Project, well-intended (or maybe not) political maneuverings, and—this hits home for me–the property tax burden that makes local budgeting so deeypl painful and divisive. The Last Bake Sale for Education documents exactly why we find ourselves dead last in state aid to education, how we got here, and—best of all– what can be done about it. This is a must read for anybody who cares about education, taxes, fairness, and the future of the Granite State.”

—Becky Rule, author and television host of NHPBS “Our town”

“The current funding formula for public education is broken. Andru Volinsky is the handyman here to fix our problem. The Last Bake Sale, like Volinsky states, is “the story of how we treat our children.” The current system has set up a wrestling match between schools and their respective communities, with our children being the ultimate losers of the match. However, Volinsky offers us something that seems so elusive: solutions. This is a must-read for those who care about the future of our democracy.”

—Logan LaRoche, social studies teacher and founder of Pittsfield High School’s school funding lab class

“Volinsky’s account of New Hampshire’s multi-generational struggle to improve its public education system is a must-read for parents, educators, policymakers, journalists, and advocates … a forceful plea to elected officials and, ultimately, all of us: Respect public education as a cornerstone of our democracy – and give it the attention and resources it deserves.”

—Robert Kim, Esq., Executive Director, Education Law Center, Newark, NJ