A little-noticed change in wording may be the best news New Hampshire taxpayers will get this year. Credit New Hampshire House conservatives in particular for stepping up to compromise on CACR 12. It is now up to Gov. John Lynch and those Democrats who claim to be fiscally responsible to show it.

CACR 12 is the proposed constitutional amendment that would finally address the so-called Claremont education decisions that put the state Supreme Court ultimately in charge of public education spending and put New Hampshire on the road that will soon lead us to a broad-based tax to pay for it.

Claremont rulings have led well-off communities to receive state funding that should be targeted instead to poor ones. They have also left unelected bureaucrats and the court to determine what constitutes an “adequate” education.

Meanwhile, the people of New Hampshire who pay the bills have been repeatedly denied their right to vote to amend their state constitution because their legislators over the ensuing years couldn’t agree on the wording of such an amendment.

Responsible members of the House have now moved to adjust the wording of the amendment proposal that they had passed overwhelmingly this session.

Their conferees will soon meet with their Senate counterparts, who should have no problem embracing the new language. And in that case, Gov. Lynch should fulfill his promise and work for its passage so the people can approve it this November.