Brenda Hastings, Concord School Board Candidate

Brenda Hastings

Age (as of Election Day)

55

Position Sought

Concord School Board - District C

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Spouse - Philip M. Hastings
Daughter - Caroline Hastings

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Concord High School Class of 83'
B.A. Keene State College 1988
M. Ed. Notre Dame College 1995

Occupation

Elementary School Teacher 24 years experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

Under Construction

Why are you seeking elective office?

As a recently retired Concord teacher I will bring my unique experience and set of skills to the school board. As a lifelong Concord resident I am concerned by recent damage to our District's reputation and I want to help CSD return to being known as a "District of Distinction". A place where families want to live, teachers want to teach and businesses want to be.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Accountability and transparency from the top down.
In my experience, decisions made by the school board and superintendent's office have too often been made without meaningful input from those most effected by those decisions - the students, their families and staff.
We need to find a way to cultivate and encourage thoughtful and diverse points of view and be active listeners. As I would tell my third graders, an active listener is someone who listens with an open mind and with full attention and respect. As a school board member, I will be an active listener and advocate for changes in the administrative decision making process so that all reasonable voices can be heard and taken into consideration.
One example of this is in the board's committee structure. It has been said that "committees are where good ideas go to die." On the Concord School Board, committees have been the place where information is buried, creating an illusion of input, but without any real active listening taking place. The committee system needs to be reformed so that the entire board receives the meaningful and timely information it needs to make responsible decisions.
By being better and active listeners, the school board can be more accountable, transparent and responsive to our community.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

There are two critical differences between me and my opponents.
The first difference is my unique experience. As a recently retired Concord teacher I have seen first hand the outcomes of board decisions. Not just how they affect me as an individual but as part of a larger group. I have seen how decisions affect individual students, families and the community as a whole. My opponents have experience with how decisions affected their student or family but not the larger community. I understand that the board must consider all of the parties involved in a decision, not just one.
The second critical difference is our reasons for running. Both of my opponents have students currently in the Concord School District. I believe there is an inherent bias when you have actual "skin in the game". As parents, they are bound to be a bit myopic, their attention most occupied by topics that will affect their child or their family. It's a natural outcome when you have a such a personal investment in the process.
My investment is years of service in educating the young people of Concord. I have seen where we excel and where we fall short and I will bring that knowledge and experience to the board if I am elected.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Safety and Security
As adults, we understand that the safety and security of the young people we care for is of the utmost importance. We also understand that being able to provide complete safety and security is not realistically possible, but we can be prepared for potential threats so that we can act swiftly and responsibly.
Schools are faced with the same safety and security issues as all groups of people. There are both external threats and internal threats. In my experience, the Concord School District has planned, organized and rehearsed in a professional and effective way for a broad array of external threats to our classrooms, schools, and district as a whole.
We were not prepared for the internal threat. That one of our own educators was welcomed, embraced and even celebrated, all while posing a devastating threat to our young people, remains unfathomable to me. Yet it happened. The results have been catastrophic to the Concord School District and the larger community. People have been hurt. Trust has been broken. Relationships have been fractured.
We must do better. Ultimately, the School Board must be accountable for the safety and security of those in our care. It is the School Board’s duty to consider and plan for the unfathomable and be as prepared to face the internal threat as we are prepared for the external. If elected to School Board, I will push for a comprehensive review of the internal threats to our schools to better ensure that this duty is fulfilled.
Cultural Challenges
I don’t think I am going out on a limb when I suggest that Concord School District is facing significant cultural challenges. Nor are these challenges unique to Concord. However, the way in which we choose to face these challenges can set us apart.
Concord is a culturally diverse city. This statement may be surprising to some but not those of us who have served in the community over the past few decades. We have seen demographic and socioeconomic shifts, which have brought the good and the bad. We have welcomed and been enriched by immigrant and refugee populations. Our community has been made more aware of the social injustice in a number of different contexts. We continue to experience poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, sexual and domestic violence and the breakdown of family norms.
Our schools are a reflection of these cultural changes and challenges. How can we expect any child to be educationally successful when he or she is hungry or feels unsafe? How can students thrive academically if they are being bullied due to race or gender identification? How can children develop lifelong learning skills when their home lives are in chaos from drugs or violence or they lack positive role models?
I don’t have all of the answers to these challenges, but I know that failure to address them is not an option. As a first step, we need to communicate with each other honestly, compassionately, and respectfully. Second, we need to recognize the important role that our schools play in our students lives. As a school district, we need to have high standards for attendance, behavior, and academic performance. How we treat our students establishes expectations beyond the classroom and helps our students know and believe that they are unique, competent, and valued members of a diverse community.
Responsible and Effective Budgeting
We need to make the public review of the school district’s budget more user-friendly and transparent. The annual operating budget for the school district is over $80 million and accounts for roughly two-thirds of the taxes paid by Concord’s residents and businesses. A budget of this size, without meaningful and public review, leaves the school district open to a lack of confidence and trust from the community.
We also need a line-by-line review of the district’s expenditures. The lack of continuity with three superintendents over the past year concerns me and makes me wonder what may have “fallen through the cracks” during each transition. Now is a good time for the school district to re-affirm a commitment to ensuring that the money it receives from us, the taxpayers, is spent responsibly and we get the best educational value from those limited dollars.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Successfully managing 3rd graders for more than 20 years has taught me many skills including time managemnet, crisis management, getting along, team work, patience and most importantly compromise.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Follow your heart.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am committed, willing to listen, learn and to represent the students, families and staff of District C the very best I can.

Find out more about me at my website: brendahastingsforschoolboard.com.