According to the Free State Project website, “The Free State Project is a mass migration of more than 20,000 people who have pledged to move to New Hampshire for liberty.”

Members believe that if they concentrate their numbers in a single state, they will be able to maximize their impact as activists and community leaders. Their website also states that they are neither a political organization nor are they tied to any political party.

Last year, Underwood and her husband, Ian Underwood, worked to slash the school board budget in half prior to the budget vote. Some FSP members in Croydon believe that an offer of $800,000 in funds is sufficient and that the other $900,000 that was part of the budget shouldn’t be mandated.

This budget cut led Croydon residents to start the group, “We Stand Up for Croydon Students.” The group petitioned for a special vote, which resulted in the reinstatement of the full budget.

Croydon resident John Anderson, 68 Fletcher Road, asked each of the candidates if he or she supports the FSP, public schools, and the Constitution.

Another resident addressed those candidates who oppose the FSP, and asked specifically what he or she is against--the 2nd Amendment? Lower taxes? No income tax for New Hampshire?

“I don’t oppose any of those things,” school board candidate Angi Beaulieau said. “What I oppose is what the Free State Project tried to do in our town, and that was to defund our school after they already defunded our police department.”

“I do believe that research was done by the school board and it was determined that they wouldn’t have been able to do it with the $800,000 budget and that was admitted to by [Underwood]” Beaulieau said.

Beaulieau, who is a former school board member, will be running against Underwood for a three-year term. Underwood said she has been on the school board since 2010 and has run opposed each term.

At one time, Beaulieau sat on the school board with Underwood. During the budget cut last year, Beaulieau joined “We Stand for Croydon Students” in an effort to reverse the cut.

Other candidates who spoke against the FSP said they were unhappy with how it handled the decision to slash the budget.

Amie Freak, who now sits on the selectboard and is running for a three-year term, said she was looking for better alternatives to the cuts.

“I wanted it done in a better way,” Freak said. “I wanted it done in a way where I didn’t have to think, ‘Oh my god, how am I going to raise $10,000 for my kid to go to school next year.’”

Kim McKinney, running unopposed for school treasurer, said, “They (FSP) preyed upon Croydon. They took advantage of people not showing up and it’s time to take the town back.”

Proponents of the local Free State Project said that if anyone was being forced to do anything, it was them when they were informed that they would have to pay more money for Croydon students despite not wanting to.

“The reason I want to do this is the same reason I always have – I care about children’s learning, and I want to do it at a reasonable cost,” Underwood said of her motivation to run in the election.

Croydon’s election will be at the Town Hall on Tuesday, March 14, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.