KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – A public hearing on the proposed budget for the Keene School District’s 2026-27 school year drew very few comments Tuesday evening.

The Keene Board of Education (KBE) is proposing an $82,426,334 budget for the next school year, a 3.4% increase over this year’s budget. The majority of the budget is used for non-discretionary spending, more than 67% of which is salaries and benefits. Only 4% of the budget is discretionary spending, which includes transportation for field trips and athletics, books, supplies, and equipment, furniture, and software.

The budget results in a 12.74% increase on the school district’s portion of the property tax, or $221.91 per $100,000 of assessed value. Only one person commented on the budget, praising the board for their work while navigating the downshifting of costs from the state.

If the budget is defeated at the polls in March, a default operating budget of $81,724,152 would be adopted. The default budget is the same as the previous year, with certain adjustments required by the district or by law. The budget for the 2025-26 school year is $79,695,535.

This year’s school warrant includes just one other article, asking voters whether the district should join the state’s open-enrollment program. If approved, Keene schools could accept a limited number of students from outside the district, up to 15 in kindergarten through fifth grade at Fuller and Symonds elementary schools, and up to 10 students each at Franklin and Wheelock. The proposal would not allow Keene students to attend open enrollment schools elsewhere. Any students accepted would be enrolled under district policies and state law.

SAU 29 Chief Financial Officer Tim Reuhr said the district could benefit from the additional revenue. If the article fails, Keene would instead be required to pay 80% of the average cost per pupil, totaling just over $16,000 when sending a student to an open enrollment district. KBE Chair George Downing said that the SAU will be communicating with voters to help them understand the open enrollment question.

The deliberative session where voters can make any final changes to the warrant before it heads to the polls is set for February 7th at 9 a.m. in the Keene High School auditorium. The second session, which is voting at the polls, is set for Tuesday, March 10. All wards will vote at the Keene Recreation Center at 312 Washington Street. The polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.