Zone C Concord Board Of Education Member Changes Her Mind, Decides To Run For A 3rd Term: Follow-Up

CONCORD, NH — An incumbent school board member, who confirmed she would not be running a few weeks ago, has changed her mind.

Brenda Hastings, a former district elementary school teacher, who represents Zone C (Wards 8, 9, and 10), was one of five candidates filing to run for school board this week. Another incumbent, Elizabeth Boucher, of Zone B (Wards 5, 6, and 7), also filed this week, as expected.

Three other candidates also filed to run: Former state Rep. Don Brueggerman, who is seeking the Zone B seat; Dr. Aaron Thompson, in Zone C; and Jaclyn Figueria, who filed to run for the Zone A seat (Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4).

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Zone C Seat

Hastings’ decision was the biggest surprise this week.

Not only did she say in August she would not run for a third term, but she also said she had made up her mind three years ago, after winning re-election, that this would be her last term.

However, on Friday, she signed up again and said she was reconsidering her decision because of the district’s work on artificial intelligence policy, as well as addressing screen time in classes and class size. These topics, she said, “have been gaining traction and have come up more frequently in our discussion.” Hasting said she would miss being part of “these important decisions” if she were no longer elected.

“I truly didn't expect to change my mind; it surprised me as well,” she said.

Hastings is also serving on the new Eastman School reuse advisory committee.

Thompson signed up on Tuesday. He ran last year but was removed from the ballot because of a registration snafu and mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign.

“I decided to run for the Concord School Board because I want to become more involved in the community and contribute my experience as both an educator and a parent,” he said. “With three children in the district, the decisions made by the school board are not abstract to me; they directly affect my children, their classmates, their teachers, and the families in our community.”

Thompson’s children range from first to eighth grade. He said, if elected, he wanted to bring common sense to the board while listening to teachers and parents and doing what is best for students. He said the board needed to listen more to community members before making decisions.

Thompson is an educator himself. He has a doctorate in educational leadership and has spent much of his career in special, health, and physical education. Thompson now teaches at the college level and works with “students with a wide range of abilities and educational needs.”

Thompson added, “I believe my background gives me a useful perspective on the challenges facing schools… I have worked directly with students, teachers, administrators, and families, and I understand that decisions made at the board and administrative levels ultimately have an impact in the classroom.”

Zone B Seat

Brueggemann, a long-time city resident, just retired after three decades of managing Bagel Works and The Works Café in Downtown Concord.

He was also a founding member and manager of what is now the Concord Food Coop and served three terms in the House. Brueggemann also participated in Leadership Greater Concord and has served on several boards, including the NH Community Loan Fund and 5 Rivers Conservation Trust.

During his 50 years in the city, he married and raised a daughter, who attended district schools and now lives in the South End.

“She received a great education, for which we are grateful, including early intervention in helping her learn to read — ultimately developing into a very good student and athlete,” he said.

At the same time, while watching the board, Brueggemann thought they had lost touch with the community. Although he had tried to nudge the board to open up a bit and listen to the community, he had not succeeded.

“I value our schools and feel that we are due better governance: transparent decision-making in the context of openness to differing viewpoints and community engagement,” he said. “I feel that when the process is clear and open and inclusive, we get better decisions and better results.”

Balancing all the constituencies — students and parents, teachers, taxpayers, and the community was not easy, with “a lot of moving parts,” but he believed he was up for the challenge.

“Students do better when teachers are supported and the community as a whole benefits when students are successful,” Brueggemann said. “Schools need to be adequately resourced, but the community suffers when folks are priced out of their homes. It's a balancing act that succeeds when there is openness and accountability. It is a matter of providing the schools with what they need without breaking the bank and getting the greatest value for everyone involved.”

Brueggemann said voters can learn more about his campaign at https://don4csb.org/.

Boucher, a dietitian who lives in Ward 5, said in August she would be seeking a second term.

She said she brought a different perspective to the board and invested time and energy in volunteering. She also has children in the school system and felt there was an urgent need to protect public education in the state.

Zone A Seat

Figueria, so far, is the only candidate to sign up to run for the Zone A seat.

She is running to bring a proactive, fiscally responsible, long-term vision to Concord schools, while also building productive partnerships between the board, city and state departments, and the city council.

Figueria said she has lived in Concord for more than 17 years with her husband, Jim, and has two children in the district: a middle schooler and a high schooler. She also served on the Beaver Meadow Elementary School PTO for three years. Figueria is an engineer by trade and said she would bring more than a quarter-century of business leadership, project management, and quality systems experience in manufacturing.

“Encouraged by several community leaders, I have made the decision to step up and run,” she said. “I am ready to bring my patience, collaborative mindset, and proven ability to navigate complex challenges to the Board of Education. My goal is to ensure Concord schools are institutions that families are proud of, where students flourish, and where future generations want to return and raise their own families.”

Incumbent Jessica Campbell said in August she was on the fence about running for a second term.

Sign Up Details

Sign-ups for board candidacies will be held at the district’s central office at 38 Liberty St. during office hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last day to file will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 14.

Election day is Nov. 3.

Concord NH Patch and Concord TV have also agreed to host a forum or forums for the candidates before the election.

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