CONCORD - The state Senate voted 23-0 to send to the House a bill that would halt a drop in state education for about 77 communities, including the state's two largest cities - which stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Senate Bill 40 would essentially provide the same amount of state aid to all New Hampshire school districts as they received the past two years.

Without the fix, some cities and towns would see property taxes go up, several senators noted.