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Timberlane board ratifies contracts, approves calendar first read and several curriculum and travel items
Summary
At its Jan. 2 meeting the Timberlane board ratified collective bargaining agreements for custodians and cafeteria workers, approved a first read of the 2025–26 calendar (start before Labor Day), adopted Pre‑K writing (second reading), advanced several curriculum first reads, and approved student overnight travel requests.
The Timberlane Regional School District school board took a series of formal votes on Jan. 2, approving collective bargaining agreements, moving a calendar for first read, adopting a Pre‑K writing curriculum, and approving student travel and other routine items.
Key votes and outcomes - Tentative agreement with Timberlane Custodians Union (three years): motion to accept carried. The total three‑year cost presented on the record was $278,689. The board approved the tentative agreement (vote recorded 7‑0‑1).
- Tentative agreement with Timberlane Cafeteria Workers Union (three years): the board approved the tentative agreement. The total three‑year cost shown in the meeting packet was read aloud as “17,000,022” (as presented in the meeting record); board approved the agreement (vote recorded 7‑0‑1).
- FY2026 budget process: administrators told the board the budget before them will change after the budget committee reopens two items: a renegotiated transportation contract that should reduce district transportation liability by about $100,000 and a vote to remove school board stipends. The budget committee scheduled a special meeting for Jan. 9 to reexamine those items.
- Calendar (2025–26) first read: the board approved a motion to adopt the calendar that begins the week before Labor Day (two student days prior to Labor Day) for first read; the board recorded the first‑read approval and will finalize adoption later. Teachers’ representatives and some students had expressed a preference for starting before Labor Day to better align with regional CTE calendars.
- Collective bargaining and personnel finance notes: administrators said that ratified contracts will be reflected in the warrant and budget documents, including first‑year dollar impacts. The district noted changes to default budget calculations reflecting eliminated positions and other adjustments.
- Curriculum actions: the board adopted the Pre‑K writing curriculum (second reading/adoption) and approved first reads for 6th grade world language edits (removing German and Latin from the 6th‑grade exposures) and 7th grade social studies edits (a mini‑unit on the Holocaust / genocide connected to ELA work). Pre‑K writing adoption passed on a recorded vote.
- Student overnight travel: the board approved two student overnight trips: Harvard Model Congress in February (28 students) and Youth & Government leadership and model legislature in Concord in April; both requests were approved.
Why it matters: The ratified contracts and calendar shape the FY2026 budget that will go to voters; administrators said the budget as presented reflects a net decrease from the prior year but will be reduced further by the transportation renegotiation and stipend removal if the budget committee affirms those changes.
What’s next: Administrators will update the default and proposed budgets after the Jan. 9 budget committee meeting and will include contract dollar figures in the warrant article language before public hearings and deliberative sessions.
Ending The board scheduled public hearings and deliberative sessions on the March warrant schedule and reminded the public of upcoming community forums on a citizens’ petition related to a tax cap and lease matters.
