Potential Concord Board Of Education Candidates Question Members

CONCORD, NH — In what has become a longstanding and unusual tradition, Concord School District board of education members held an informational meeting on Thursday with potential candidates interested in serving on the school board.

Each year, usually a day or two before signups start, elected officials will meet with interested members of the public to discuss the role and give them an idea of what they are in for if they decide to run. No other political body in the city hosts such a meeting for interested parties who might want to run.

This year, five community members attended the meeting, asked thoughtful questions, and did not seem entirely dissuaded from getting involved, in one way or another, despite the commitment.

Jim Richards, the president of the school board, as well as at-large board members Bob Cotton and Pamela Walsh, and district members Virginia Cannon and Jonathan Weinberg, were peppered with questions about the tasks, meeting commitments, and amount of time spent.

The members explained the board was an advisory and oversight body, a board of directors more than a decision-making unit. The school superintendent makes decisions about hiring and firing, but she was the sole employee reporting to the board. They likened the experience, sometimes, to drinking from a firehose.

The most significant amount of time, they agreed, was the budget season and also setting policies for administrators and educators to follow. Some said it was very important to serve on the board, but it was sometimes a thankless job. Others called it rewarding to serve and be involved.

Richards said, many times, constituents will call members and raise concerns about sidewalks or other issues, and they can be conduits between residents and the superintendent. He said most members serve on multiple subcommittees that meet a few times a month. The community, Richards said, does realize all of the work that they do and also that they can help, too.

“You don’t take this if you really don’t want to get involved in the schools,” he said.

Richards said some members do miss meetings due to vacations and emergencies, but it was important for all the members to attend. There are often, too, special board meetings, often brought up while dealing with contracts or crises like the Primo “Howie” Leung teacher-student rape charges — and all of the firings, controversy, and legal wranglings that occurred in the wake of the incidents.

“I hope we never have to live through something like that again,” Richards said.

Coronavirus, too, challenged the board with both work and time.

Walsh said many board members raise tough questions and bring many of their own experiences. But the collective group of diverse experiences and lives made the board better.

“I have yet to be at a meeting that I don’t learn anything,” she said.

Cannon said the school district was the only one in the state that was autonomous. She said during budget season, there was a lot of anxiety and stress about the implications to taxpayers and it had weighed on her during the past few years.

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” she said. “It’s a tremendous responsibility. We are responsible for part of the bill to set that rate. That responsibility sits heavy on me.”

Cotton said other districts have oversight by a mayor, city council, board of selectmen, or town meeting, which made it unique.

Richards said every board member feels that weight even if some do not get sick about it. He has had phone calls from taxpayers crying because they were worried about being able to pay their property taxes and could not afford school budget increases.

“We all take it very seriously,” he said, noting the property tax hit both owners and renters. “Many of those people are on fixed incomes; many are already just getting by, making ends meet. We don’t ever forget that (and) our constituents hold us accountable. These are serious positions.”

At the same time, Cannon said, “the really big smiles” from students at school events were heartwarming. Richards added it was also good to see those students getting their diplomas, too.

One woman asked whether the board received assistance from a finance committee, accountants, or attorneys with the experience to assist members in making decisions and dealing with legal language.

The board has professional assistance, including a finance committee, and the figures are audited, too. Both Cannon and Cotton are attorneys, but the district also has contract staff attorneys, too.

Cotton said, too, that members “gravitate to what they are interested in,” which helps. The district, too, had “very good administrative staff,” he said.

Walsh said the budget was not created from scratch; it was presented to them, and they asked questions and made recommendations. The process was a real-time discussion, she said.

Richards said a lot of work outside of meetings goes into eyeing the budget. Even with an MBA in finance, he said, there are still questions.

Walsh said, too, members had tackled a lot of “big discussions” like the middle school project, creating a strategic plan, and looking at class sizes. She said athletic fields needed to be eyed at Memorial Field even though it had been neglected and was primarily the city's responsibility.

“There are a lot of interesting things going on,” she said.

Richards, too, said members got a good feeling from what they were doing and saw it in the classroom, greeted by students who often have nothing and were pleased to obtain books and be taught.

One candidate asked about how many seats were open and how often candidates ran. This year, it is three district seats; next year, it will be another three district seats. The three at-large seats will be up in 2024.

This map shows the city wards; this map shows the school district service areas.

Cannon said while she was elected by the district, she took phone calls from anyone in the city about school issues and often received calls from outside her elected area.

“I want to know what is going on,” she said. “I want to know how I can help … everyone serves the whole school district.”

Another potential candidate asked about how members learned about instructional issues, special education, and “what is actually best for the kids.”

Cannon said as overseers, they rely on administration and did not think board members were expected to do cutting-edge research on everything going on in the classroom. Weinberg said sometimes, members can request educators and experts to give them more information.

The time commitment seemed to be concerning to some of the potential candidates.

A man attending the meeting said he believed it was around a 12- to 14-hour-a-month commitment but wondered how many days a month members would meet. Most meetings, he was told, were held on Mondays and Wednesdays but the hours would vary by week. Sometimes, it could be 12 hours a week. On average, though, it was five or six nights a month, not including subcommittee meetings.

One woman said she was interested in running and being involved but, it was clear to her, she would not be able to run. She would find some other way to serve.

What Have You Learned?

At the end of the evening, a few of the members were asked what they had learned during their time on the board that they did not know before running or attending prior informational meetings.

Cotton said he did not know what he was getting into. The time commitment was more than he thought it would be. But it was not overwhelming, either.

“I don’t think you do until you start,” he said, “but I’ve been impressed by the collegial nature (and) the professionalism of the administration.”

Cannon mentioned time, too, and also said she was confident she would come in and be able to comprehend all that was involved. She was wrong, though.

Cannon said learning and understanding every component of a modern school system — from school airflow to employees, buses, contracts, and technology.

“I found that I really didn’t understand the scope,” she said. “I wouldn’t change it; wouldn’t undo it; but I did not think I understood the scope.”

Richards said members have taken the job seriously and brought unique and valuable viewpoints and experiences to the meetings. Once they get here, they are committed to the job, bring their all to it, and everyone brings something different, he said.

“They all contributed a lot,” he said, “and that’s a pretty strong testament for the people who run for the school board.”

Weinberg readily admitted he came from “the advocacy sphere.” But it was valuable coming from the other side, too, he said, seeing “the what the intricacies of the job are … seeing the bureaucracy is because that is also helpful to recognize when you are trying to get things done.” Weinberg was surprised by how thoughtful people were — both the board and the public, who want to see change and what it might look like “in our world.”

Signup Starts; Incumbents Running

Signups for the seats began Friday at the Concord School District office at 38 Liberty St. Filing will end at 5 p.m. on Sept. 19. The filing fee is $5.

Both Richards and Cannon confirmed Thursday they would be running for reelection and signed up to run for reelection on Friday. Dave Parker, who is a District B member, has not confirmed his intentions yet.

Richards said he planned on getting out, knocking on doors, and putting up signs, as he had done in the past.

“I’ll be running a real campaign,” he said.

Cannon said she decided on Wednesday to run again.

Candidates elected on Nov. 8 will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2023, and serve for three years. The term for each ends on Dec. 31.

Questions about running can be directed to Patrick Taylor, the school district clerk, at ptaylor@sau8.org.

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