Londonderry’s School Board advanced a warrant article Jan. 15 asking voters to approve full‑day kindergarten in the district’s three elementary schools beginning with the 2026–27 school year.

Superintendent Dan Black said full‑day kindergarten would provide roughly 103 additional instructional days for the district’s youngest learners and shift time from remediation to advancement. He told the board declining enrollment gives the district the capacity to expand kindergarten without overcrowding: staff plan to repurpose existing partitioned rooms, move portables, and convert spaces to create five classrooms at Matthew Thornton Elementary, which the district says can absorb up to about 100 additional students.

Financially, Black said converting half‑day kindergarten to full day increases district adequacy revenue (because full‑day students generate full adequacy funding rather than half) while enabling staffing consolidations across K–5 when the district operates three elementary buildings instead of four. The district estimated a net annual savings of roughly $208,000 and additional revenue of about $550,000, producing a net change that Black said lowers the tax rate by about 12¢.

Board members and budget committee representatives asked about enrollment sensitivity, the treatment of one‑time versus ongoing costs (furniture, curriculum updates and portable moves), and how assumptions would hold if enrollment trends reverse. Dan Black acknowledged the projections are for next year and emphasized the board should focus on the current fiscal year’s presentation rather than long‑range extrapolation.

The board unanimously moved Article 3 to the deliberative session; public questions about classroom capacity at Matthew Thornton were answered by the superintendent and facilities staff.

Next steps: Article 3 will appear on the deliberative agenda for voter discussion prior to the warrant vote.