requiring the department of education to review statewide academic standards and curricula.

The entire appropriation section (Section 3) was deleted. It had appropriated $1 for FY2027 and $1 for FY2028 as a placeholder to the Department of Education for funding support systems for revised academic standards. The bill now provides no funding authorization whatsoever.

The fiscal note now explicitly states the bill 'does not provide funding, nor does it authorize new positions,' and adds that it provides 'neither authorization nor appropriation for positions.' Estimated expenditures shifted one year later (FY2027 to FY2028, FY2028 to FY2029) to reflect the delayed effective date.

The effective date changed from 'upon its passage' to July 1, 2027, giving the department roughly an additional year before the mandate takes effect.

The bill title was changed from 'review statewide academic standards and curriculum and making an appropriation therefor' to 'review statewide academic standards and curricula,' removing the reference to appropriation and changing 'curriculum' to 'curricula.'

The bill no longer replaces existing paragraph V(a) of RSA 193-E:2-a (which contained language about curriculum frameworks, minimum standards for public school approval, and local responsibility). Instead, it inserts a new paragraph II-b containing only the decennial review requirement. The old paragraph V(a) remains in effect unchanged.

School districts changed from being required ('shall') to select new curriculum and materials from a state-provided list of high-quality options, to being permitted ('may') to do so. This gives local districts discretion rather than mandating they use the state list.

The fiscal note was substantially expanded with a methodology section and higher cost estimates: FY 2027 expenditures increased from $1,300,000 to $1,792,000, and FY 2028 from approximately $625,000-$725,000 to $1,121,000-$1,221,000. The note now identifies four specific Instructional Coordinator III positions needed (Science, Social Studies, Arts/World Languages, and Health/PE) at approximately $123,000-$124,000 each per year.

Cross-references throughout the bill were updated to point to the new paragraph II-b instead of the old V(a), and the appropriation section now references RSA 193-E:2-a, II-b. The fiscal note's funding source for appropriations changed from 'General Fund' to 'None.'