The Timberlane Regional School District board on Jan. 2 voted to rescind a prior procedural motion related to funding full‑day, tuition‑free kindergarten and approved a motion to draft a warrant article asking voters to fund full‑day kindergarten for fiscal year 2026.

Board member Kim McCormack apologized to the board for a “misunderstanding” around the earlier motion and said it was never her intent to violate the district’s articles of agreement. “It was never my intention to to go against the articles of agreement,” McCormack said during public debate.

Why it matters: board members said the change would affect families who cannot afford tuition for full‑day kindergarten and could change how the district is funded because of state adequacy aid. Supporters argued that full‑day kindergarten can improve early learning outcomes and reduce later special‑education costs; opponents and some members cautioned the board must follow the articles of agreement and legal process.

Discussion and details
Board members debated both the legal process and the policy merits of full‑day kindergarten. Board member Jack described how the pandemic influenced his view, saying, “The pandemic. Look at the impact on our students for a year of lost learning. Do you need any more evidence than that?” Several members said they changed their positions after reviewing data and talking with teachers and special‑education staff.

Board members and staff discussed the district’s expected funding treatment from the New Hampshire Department of Education. During the meeting a board member summarized the district’s current funding for kindergarten and the state aid mechanics, saying the district “receive[s] [half] of the adequacy based payment for every student enrolled in kindergarten” and that a noncompetitive grant can make up the other half if the district offers full‑day kindergarten.

Board members also discussed an estimated initial cost the committee had identified to start the program next year (committee members referenced about $150,000 to begin the transition), and asked staff to prepare a town‑level tax impact if a warrant article moves forward.

Actions and outcome
The board first moved to rescind its December 19 motion that had directed staff to find funds for full‑day kindergarten; the transcript records the rescind motion and subsequent approval but does not record a numerical vote tally for that rescind action in the public transcript (tally not specified in the transcript record).

Later the board voted to draft a warrant article to fund tuition‑free full‑day kindergarten for FY2026. The motion to develop the warrant article carried (vote recorded in the meeting: 7 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention).

Next steps
Board members asked staff to draft wager (warrant) language and run it through legal review to ensure it complies with the district’s articles of agreement and state requirements. The board discussed the deadline for warrant article submission; a board member noted the submission deadline for potential warrant language was in mid‑January (board members cited Jan. 14 as the working deadline for warrant language). The board also asked administration to prepare a tax‑impact estimate by town for any proposed article.

Quotes
"It was never my intention to to go against the articles of agreement," Board member Kim McCormack said as she moved to rescind her earlier motion.

"The pandemic. Look at the impact on our students for a year of lost learning. Do you need any more evidence than that?" Board member Jack said when explaining why he supported moving forward.

Ending
The board’s vote to pursue a warrant article means the question of tuition‑free full‑day kindergarten will go before district voters after the administration prepares final language and a tax‑impact statement. The board and administration said they will provide more detailed cost estimates and draft warrant language before the mid‑January submission deadline.