KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Keene City Councilor and School Board member Randy Filiault was Thursday’s guest on Good Morning with Dan Mitchell on WKBK Radio, where he walked listeners through Article Two on the Keene School District warrant ahead of the district’s upcoming deliberative session.

Article Two asks voters whether the district should adopt New Hampshire’s open enrollment law while setting strict local limits on how the policy would apply in Keene. Filiault said the article is designed to protect the district from potentially significant and unpredictable financial liabilities created by the state law.

“The original intent at the state level was essentially that anyone could go anywhere,” Filiault said. “But if you don’t write your own provisions and have voters approve them, you really open yourself up financially.”

As written, the article would allow Keene to accept a limited number of students from outside districts in kindergarten through fifth grade only: up to 15 students each at Fuller and Symonds elementary schools, and up to 10 students each at Franklin and Wheelock schools, for a maximum of 50 students. No Keene resident students would be permitted to attend schools outside the district under open enrollment.

Filiault said the focus on elementary grades reflects available classroom space and avoids conflicts with existing tuition agreements for middle and high school students through the Area School Agreement, which already governs students coming to Keene from surrounding towns.

Under state law, sending districts must pay at least 80 percent of their average cost per pupil when a student enrolls elsewhere. In Keene, that figure currently translates to a minimum of $16,286 per student, not including additional special education costs. Filiault said the district’s legal team is working to ensure Keene retains control over tuition rates rather than relying solely on the state minimum.

“If you ignore this law and hope it goes away, you could find yourself in serious financial trouble,” he said.

Filiault also noted that if Keene does not adopt an open enrollment policy with voter-approved limits, the district could be required to pay tuition if Keene students enroll in other districts under the state law.

“That’s exactly why this is on the ballot,” he said. “We have to look out for our students and our taxpayers.”

During the interview, Filiault encouraged residents to attend the school district’s deliberative session on Saturday, Feb. 7, when voters can weigh in on the budget and warrant articles. He also reminded listeners that candidate filing is currently open for four seats on the Keene School Board, calling the role a “major time commitment” but an important one.

The conversation later touched briefly on city matters, including recent updates to the Main Street infrastructure project, which Filiault said may be scaled back and extended to reduce costs following feedback from contractors.

Listen to the full interview: