WALPOLE, N.H. – School districts across New Hampshire have been scrambling to find creative ways to continue funding public education and programs, with some seeking to acquire more local control of their school boards. On March 10, voters in the five towns that make up the Fall Mountain Regional School District (FMRSD, aka SAU60) will be given an opportunity to voice their opinions on a proposed fix, or at least what some say is a step in the right direction.
The towns of Walpole and Langdon are asking voters to consider their withdrawal from FMRSD, mainly to reduce costs, and to gain complete control over their school administrations. The current effort now on the ballot began in March 2024, when voters of the Town of Walpole overwhelmingly approved an informal study to investigate the pros and cons of withdrawal from FMRSD and the creation of the town’s own school district.
The Town of Walpole has about 29% of the student body of SAU60, its school administrative unit, but is responsible for 42% of the tax base due to the mandated state apportionment formula. For every $1 million included in the SAU60 budget, Walpole would be assessed about $65,000 more annually, without receiving any additional benefits.
In March 2025, the Town of Langdon joined Walpole in conducting feasibility studies, and in Dec. 2025, the State Board of Education authorized the withdrawal plans to be presented to the voters.
In preparation for the March vote, the school board held public forums, one on Jan. 27, and another on Feb. 28. The board also put out a survey that reportedly received more than 200 responses.
At the Jan. 27 forum, held at the Walpole Town Hall in the first-floor conference room, school board member Kevin Keith was in charge of the presentation.
Alissa Bascom, school board chair, opened the meeting and introduced Keith, who she thanked for his hard work putting the presentation together. Bascom asked that voters take the question seriously. “Look at the information presented and determine whether it is feasible and suitable for yourself, your family, and your community, and then mark your vote. Nobody here is trying to tell you how to vote.”
Keith reviewed the many potential scenarios should the withdrawal pass with the required number of votes. The budget estimates included in Keith’s presentation were true estimations, made “based on no structural changes, because the number of options we had was unlimited,” he stressed.
If the voters approve the withdrawal, new school boards and a new administration will need to be established. Most likely additional staff will be required as well.
Once the new district(s) are formed, a special meeting to elect school board members would be held, with Langdon School District voting in three board members, and Walpole School District voting in five board members. Keith told the meeting that, if the vote passes, the formation of any new district will begin immediately.
“From about March 2026 to June 30, 2027, they will have to get everything in order, because they will take over their new district and start educating their children on July 1, 2027.”
Keith mentioned one question received via the survey from many parents, especially in the Walpole area, regarding whether students would still have the option to attend Fall Mountain Regional High School should the town withdraw from the district. “The answer is maybe,” Keith responded, explaining that they cannot come to a definitive answer until the towns form school boards to negotiate that agreement. Keith said the high school was open to negotiations.
Each district would be tasked with developing their own budget, and obtaining their own services to handle transportation, facilities maintenance, food services, legal services, and information technology management.
After Walpole resident Craig Vickers questioned the validity of the numbers, Keith admitted, “The feasibility and suitability process is flawed.”
“What I would have done,” said Keith, “is…create [an interim] school board immediately upon requesting the withdrawal…which would have the ability to negotiate all of those real things and come up with real numbers,” Keith stated. He acknowledged that voters want more specific numbers, but those numbers cannot be estimated currently.
Vickers pointed out that the budget options presented for Walpole’s withdrawal omit “millions of dollars in aid. I think the public should be aware that there are millions of dollars in aid that will reduce what is in that withdrawal report.”
Wes Vickers, of Walpole, took the mic to “remind everyone that on [March] 10th, the only thing that you’re voting on is whether or not we have independent school boards in Walpole and Langdon.”
Keith concluded the meeting by offering his email, kkeith@sau60.org, and inviting anyone with further questions to please get in touch before the March 10 voting day.