Timberlane Regional School District staff presented an analysis of the district’s current kindergarten model and a high‑level fiscal framework for moving to a full‑day program, and the school board asked administrators to return with detailed cost and educational‑benefit information.

The presentation, led by a district staff member identified in the meeting as Justin, described the district’s current two‑pathway kindergarten model: a tuition‑free half‑day option and an opt‑in tuition full‑day option. Justin told the board the district currently enrolls 216 kindergarten students across four schools (Atkinson, Danville, Plaistow and Sandown Central) and that the fiscal 2026 operating budget funds 12.5 FTE kindergarten teachers and 12 FTE paraeducators, transportation, facilities upkeep, curriculum supports and classroom supplies.

Board members pressed for a clearer accounting of the tradeoffs involved in changing models. Justin provided two years of tuition receipts as part of the fiscal picture: about $709,000 in fiscal 2024 and roughly $541,000 in fiscal 2025 collected from families to supplement kindergarten programming. He also described how state ‘‘adequacy’’ funding would change if the district adopted full‑day kindergarten: a one‑time supplemental amount that the district could receive in fiscal 2027 (Justin referenced a per‑student figure for the supplemental amount of $2,175.50) intended to help districts bridge to full‑day programs, followed in fiscal 2028 by the full adequacy amount of $4,439 per student under the state formula.

Justin also recommended staffing assumptions for a modest enrollment increase: he said the district could plan to sustain 260 kindergarten students (about 16 students above recent maximums) but that doing so would require converting a half‑time teacher to full time and converting two part‑time paraeducator positions to full‑time equivalents. He said administrators were still calculating the dollar cost of those staffing changes and that a simple equation—projected tuition under the status quo, minus estimated new adequacy revenue, plus staffing cost changes—would produce a transparent fiscal figure for the board.

Board members asked for additional, nonfinancial materials. Jack said the district should prepare an informational pamphlet explaining educational benefits, social outcomes and long‑term impacts such as earlier identification of student needs. Melissa asked how many students the district could accommodate without new hires; Justin answered that the current staffing supports 12 kindergarten classrooms and that capacity under current staffing is limited to that configuration. Other board members, including Mark and Don, emphasized the need for a detailed cost analysis showing how any new expense would be spread across the district, and asked that staff prepare enrollment‑sensitivity scenarios and options for a phased transition.

Board members also raised implementation and policy questions. Members discussed whether families could still opt for a half‑day program if the district adopted full‑day kindergarten; Justin and other administrators said they would examine options (for example, permitting families to provide private transportation to a half‑day slot) but emphasized a preference for maximizing school attendance. A board member asked whether a citizen petition on the matter would need a simple majority or a three‑fifths threshold; an administrator replied that a petition creating a cost item is decided by majority vote and cautioned that a citizen‑led warrant article would need a clearly constructed cost figure.

The board did not adopt a policy or vote to change kindergarten structure at the meeting. The board asked staff to continue refining the analysis and directed administrators to return with (1) a detailed fiscal model for transitioning to full‑day kindergarten that includes tuition‑loss, additional adequacy revenue and staffing costs; and (2) a summary of documented educational benefits and potential outreach materials to inform families. Justin said he would present those figures at a future meeting and would also prepare options for how to implement a model change if the board wanted to pursue it.

The board’s next step is a follow‑up presentation that will include the cost scenarios and documented evidence of the academic and social benefits of full‑day kindergarten.