Jennifer Bishop, Nashua Board Of Education Candidate

Jennifer Bishop

Age (as of Election Day)

42

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

Board of Education

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Julia, 16 Oliver, 13

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Nashua High 1999
UNH Durham, BSW 2003
UNH Durham, MSW 2017

Occupation

Social Worker, 2003

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Board of Education

Campaign website

Jen Bishop

Why are you seeking elective office?

I would like to continue to work and support the district in the innovative shifts and in accessing the top-quality education for our students that our teachers provide.

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

Ascribing value to the work being done in the school. Supporting all students and staff, to feel welcomed, safe, and supported in their education is paramount. I will continue to ensure that our academic content is factual and rigorous. I will continue to support equality. We have so many wonderful teachers who are dedicated to our unique students that when we single-lens focus on one issue, we miss all the good work that is happening. I would challenge people to engage and partner with the district so that when an issue is presented, we have a stronger support system to help address it. This will better show the great work being provided by staff and the desire of the students to learn.

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

I am a master’s level Social Worker with dual certifications in Developmental disabilities and Substance Misuse from UNH and was a fellow with the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, a program hosted by Dartmouth College. During my 20+ years working here in Child Protection and case management for Juvenile Justice and now in inpatient psychiatric social work, I have supported children, families, our elderly, adults with substance misuse concerns, and those with mental health challenges. I collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of police, medical staff, county attorneys, state advocates, school staff, housing, Bridges, community mental health agencies, and city hall. I understand the community resources and how they can meet the needs of our schools and our students.
Supporting students and staff in public schools is paramount to a healthy and progressive community. Utilizing the diverse relationships, I have made in my 20-plus years as a professional here in Nashua can create stronger ties between the school board and the community. Growing up in Nashua, I attended Birch Hill, Elm St Jr High, and Nashua High School. Currently, my children attend Elm St and Nashua North. I am invested in ensuring all students have their unique needs met and have access to an excellent, rounded education. I can understand the challenges of a home life that is not privileged and often strained, and I can speak for the families who want the best for their children but may not have the time to dedicate to advocacy.

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

I am an incumbent but I see failure as an opportunity to learn. We all fail, and we will all make mistakes, but how we choose to manage that failure is where we grow. We fail the community when we refuse to sit back down at the table and work on solutions. I will continue to be the kind of person who comes back ready to make failure and mistakes part of the building blocks to success.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign platform is to continue to work on district success. To have a vision where all students are offered the opportunity to learn and have experiences that allow them to mature into a person, they’re proud of. Our teachers are amazing models of doing what you love and loving what you do, and I can see no other better way to help students achieve that success.

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

My accomplishments lie within my ability to balance. During this last term, I balanced full-time work in a hospital setting, two kids home remote learning for most of their 5th and 8thbgrade year and a board that faced adversity from each other and the public. Prior to being on the board, I put myself through graduate school as a single mom with young children.
Additionally, during my term on the board, I successfully created more academic equality between students. We ensured a safe reentry to school for all students and mitigated significant outbreaks during covid. We completed the middle school redistricting. I feel that during my term as president, I have re unified the board .I have brought the business back to meetings after a period of time fraught with public worry and differing advocacy for what their children needed academically. And we are now refocused on forward movement and increasing opportunities for students.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“Take your job seriously but not yourself.”

“Go find your team. Get to work. Whatever that work is that you find worth doing. Do it, and find some people to love who’ll do it with you.” Leslie Knope

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