The Last Bake Sale: The Fight for Fair School Funding

by Andru Volinsky

"An essential addition to any library’s collection, particularly those focusing on education policy or social justice. Its relevance extends beyond New Hampshire, addressing issues that affect schools across the United States, and is valuable to educators, students, activists, and general readers interested in understanding educational inequality." -Library Journal

During this time of attacks on public education, teacher layoffs and funding crises, it's crucial to understand why some schools struggle for lack of resources while others flourish. Why is education funding in America so embattled and so unequal?

In The Last Bake Sale, Andru Volinsky tells this story as no one else can, using New Hampshire as the example of the most unfair and regressive state in the nation in terms of how it funds its schools. In New Hampshire, taxpayers in the state's poorest communities pay the highest education taxes yet raise the lowest revenues for their kids’ schools.

As the lead lawyer in the Claremont, New Hampshire, school funding case, Volinsky waged a twenty-year battle to make access to education fairer for all children in the state, not just the wealthy, white, and privileged. Volinsky offers not just a history of how we got here at the state and national level, but also how to find a better path forward.

Combining litigation with public engagement and direct political action (including holding office) is our best hope to change public policy on education and advance the public good. Change can happen, and The Last Bake Sale shows us how.

Genres: Education

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volinsky is a genuine NH hero. He has led the fight for fair funding for education for decades and he never gives up despite very little success. This book tells the whole story of the fight. What makes me sad is that so few citizens know the history of this issue. What makes me even sadder is that NH would be in a much better place if we had righted this wrong years ago instead of sticking with the pledge to never institute any taxes. It has hurt everyone.

[Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this book did not get 5 stars is because, though for the most part it was very understandable, there were a few sections where the legalese was above my head. I'm a former educator, not lawyer. But that said, this is an amazing book that everyone in NH should read. The book is well written, down to earth, makes so much sense, and incredibly, still hopeful.

There are so many people mentioned in that book that I know, Rob Fried, Margaret Sullivan, Ovide
Lamontagne, Neal Kurk, John Freeman, Ken Greenbaum, Jonah Wheeler, and that everyone should know, William & Nackey Loeb, Maggie Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Sununu, Charlie Marston, and Ginni Barry. This hit so close to home for me having worked five years in the Allenstown Schools.

Volinsky has so many great throw-away lines: "New Hampshire has always relied more heavily on local taxes to fund schools than other states, and it's not clear why. It's almost as if leaders of New Hampshire lack commitment to the common good." (p.48)

This one's a classic: "Hoxby also testified that people in poor school districts have a "lower demand" for education, and therefore deserve what they get. (I mean, Really?) It was hard to believe she said this out loud. This sentiment is the basis for every shortchanging of "those people" that could be imagined. Poor people live in tenements because they don't want to live in nice homes. Poor people shop at convenience stores in food deserts because the what they like best. It's just a short walk from here to the Wall Street Journal article that proclaimed "slum kids can't learn."" (p.123)

Oh, and Ben and Jerry named an ice cream flavor for him: "Volinsky's Courageous Crunch. (It was vanilla with little cinnamon hearts and busted up Million Dollar Bars to reflect my strong stance on campaign finance reform.)" (p.167)

One last thing: the superintendent in Pittsfield, John Freeman, achieved remarkable progress despite a low budget, though with help from grant funding. "The district results were so remarkable that visitors interested in Pittsfield's "magic sauce" came in order to lean about the district's operations. One group of almost thirty people came from a Chicago charter school. The charter repaid Pittsfield's hospitality by sending enough deep-dish pizza to feed the entire middle-high school." (p.195) What could be wrong with that?

I love the last paragraph! Go Andru! "Good luck to you who work to improve your schools and your communities. Take care of each other. Share your lessons." (p.207) Yes!

So yes, a must read for all of New Hampshire though I'm sure "taking the pledge" will continue to operate.

[Eric Guilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that some of the court cases, legal issues, etc. were a little dry for me. But even then, Andru’s passion for what he beliefs in did shine through.

I think my favorite part of the book was how open Volinsky was about some of his failures. It’s a great peek behind the curtains of politics.