This election season of 2026, the TRSD School Board aims to not only increase the district budget by several millions of dollars yet again, but to also take away your right as a taxpayer to control the budget with a majority vote.
TRSD Deliverative Session
Date: February 5th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Timberlane Performing Arts Center
40 Greenough Road
Plaistow, New Hampshire
Blog
- Now, they come for your rights!
Almost one year ago, the taxpayers of the Timberlane Regional School District showed up to Deliberative Session and the polls to reign in the out of control budgeting that had previously raised some property owners’ taxes by 30% while also simultaneously resulting in a $16m+ surplus.
At tonight’s School Board meeting, we see one aspect of their response: a Warrant Article that takes away the right of the taxpayers to control the district’s budget.
The stakes were high last election season. This Warrant Article raises the stakes even higher for the 2026 election season. We have seen what happens when the Budget Committee rubber stamps the administration’s outrageous budget proposals – the budget balloons out of control and the only recourse is bypassing the committee and reducing the budget by millions with a majority vote at Deliverative Session. If this Warrant Article goes to ballot and passes, that right of the voters goes out the window.
It is imperative that voters show up to Deliberative Session again this year to nullify this Warrant Article.
Timberlane Regional School District Deliverative Session
Date: February 5th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Timberlane Performing Arts Center
40 Greenough Road
Plaistow, New Hampshire - Historical Financial Data
- Your chance to be heard!
- School Board Meeting 10/3
The three Citizen’s Petitions below were submitted to the School Board to appear on the ballot in March as Warrant Articles. Vote YES on all three.
- Lease Purchase Agreement: Shall the Timberlane Regional School District (TRSD) vote to rescind and terminate the March 14, 2023 adoption of Article-3 Lease Purchase Agreement of $25,243,000 as authorized by TRSD.
- Fund Balance Retention: Shall the Timberlane Regional School District (TRSD) vote to rescind the March 14, 2023 adoption of Article-15 Fund Balance Retention of 5% as authorized by TRSD.
- 2.5% Tax Cap on Operating Budget: Shall the Timberlane Regional School District (TRSD) vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-b, and implement a tax cap whereby the governing body and budget committee shall not submit a recommended budget that increases the amount to be raised by local taxes, based on the prior fiscal year’s actual amount of local taxes raised, by more than 2.5%.
- 9/24 Meeting@Danville CC
What’s Happening?
In the Timberlane Regional School District (TRSD), consisting of Atkinson, Danville, Plaistow, and Sandown, there is an ongoing battle over the district’s budget.
Why?
- The Timberlane Regional School Board has two responsibilities: (1) to provide quality education services to the district and (2) to do so in a fiscally responsible manner.
- Depending on which town you live in, the TRSD budget makes up somewhere between 60-80% of a property owner’s annual tax bill.
- The Timberlane Regional Budget Committee builds the proposed budget starting in September of each year. This budget needs to be built responsibly.
What can be done?
Join the Facebook group to stay up to date on the latest discussions.
The Timberlane Regional School Board is responsible for how the funds allocated in the budget are spent (or not spent). Budgeted monies not spent at the end of the fiscal year are referred to as the “unassigned fund balance” or “surplus” – this should be RETURNED to the taxpayers!
Short term:
- Contact your town’s Budget Committee members and ask them to reduce the upcoming year’s proposed budget.
- Contact your town’s School Board members and ask them to stop spending dollars in the unassigned fund balance and instead return those dollars to the taxpayers.
- Attend School Board meetings and Budget Committee meetings. Familiarize yourself with the various other committees and attend those meetings as well – they all have the potential to impact how your tax dollars are spent. See the committees listed on the left side of the School Board site.
Mid-term:
- Attend the Timberlane Deliberative Session in February. This is the opportunity for constituents to suggest and vote on amendments to the proposed budget before it goes to the ballot in March.
Long term:
- Run for school board or school budget community in your town, or identify people in your community who are interested in running. Get out on election day, vote for RESPONSIBLE candidates, and tell everyone you know to do the same.