As the Claremont School District reels from a $5 million budget deficit, reducing staff, shutting schools, and fighting to get through the school year, Republicans in Concord are split over how much they should help out.

On one side are those who say the state should provide some temporary financial assistance to give Claremont's school board breathing room as it digs its way out of its fiscal hole. On the other are those who say that would set a bad precedent for future financial crises in other districts. At a key meeting of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday, lawmakers ultimately pushed off a vote on a bailout in order to discuss the matter further.

But whatever they decide for Claremont, Republicans agree on one takeaway from the city’s crisis: The state should impose more oversi

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