From The Nashua Telegraph: The Hudson (N.H.) School Board has decided to withdraw its 14-month-old "unfunded mandate" lawsuit against the state and begin the process of starting a kindergarten program by September. The action came in response to a judge's decision last week that effectively orders Hudson to start kindergarten this fall no matter what. The district wanted to delay kindergarten while the lawsuit is pending without facing any penalties, but the judge denied its request for an injunction.

 FROM JANUARY 2009: The Hudson (N.H.) School Board has sued the state of New Hampshire to challenge the state legislature's 2007 action mandating public kindergarten. The district contends that the kindergarten requirement is an unfunded state mandate. New Hampshire is the only state in the nation that doesn't provide public kindergarten, but that is changing. In 2007, the Legislature voted to require public kindergarten. Most of the state's 175 school districts already have adopted kindergarten. Twelve school districts have yet to comply with the mandate including Derry, Hudson, Pelham, Salem, and Windham. Read The Boston Globe article.