WALPOLE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) In a decisive vote at their annual town meeting on Saturday, Walpole residents signaled a strong desire for increased local control by approving a measure to study the feasibility of withdrawing from the Fall Mountain Regional School District. The measure passed by a significant margin, 134-21, triggering a similar study in Langdon, which had previously approved the initiative contingent on Walpole’s decision. Fall Mountain will be responsible for funding both studies.

The Fall Mountain district also includes Acworth, Alstead, and Charlestown. While Langdon joins Walpole in moving forward with a withdrawal study, Alstead voters rejected a similar proposal last Tuesday.

Concerns about costs and governance within the regional district have fueled the push for withdrawal. At last year’s town meeting, Walpole residents supported the formation of an informal study committee to explore the feasibility of establishing an independent school district. The seven-member committee met regularly and ultimately recommended in September that Walpole move forward with the withdrawal process.

During Saturday’s meeting, the only opposition to the measure came from a re-elected at-large Fall Mountain school board member, who emphasized the board’s ongoing efforts to restructure governance and provide greater autonomy to member towns. However, the school board has indicated it will not conduct its own study if any town moves forward with a formal withdrawal investigation.

Proponents of the withdrawal study argue that separating from Fall Mountain would give Walpole more control over financial and curriculum decisions. Some have expressed frustration that the town’s concerns have been longstanding but not adequately addressed, dating back to discussions in 2019 when Charlestown attempted to leave the district.

If Walpole ultimately decides to withdraw, the process would involve a district-wide committee review, approval from the State Board of Education, and a final vote across all member towns.