Robert Johnson, Nashua Board Of Education Candidate

Robert Johnson

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Position Sought

Board of Education

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Wife, Pilar, Sev (16) and Sadie (14), both at Nashua South. My kids are pretty awesome, just ask anybody.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BFA 1992 School of Visual Arts, NYC

Occupation

Creative Director / Designer / Branding and Packaging

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/rob4boe

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe that all children should have the opportunities of a great education and school experience. The only way to do that is to work together, parents, teachers and students. I was concerned that some running had lost sight of that, so I decided to run. I also want to improve communication from the BOE.

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

Communication and working together. We need to acknowledge that we have differences in what we want to see in Education, and we need to make efforts to reach out to all involved to explain the decisions we make. We need to take advantage of social media to help parents get all the information so we can not only make decisions, but show why those decisions were made.

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

I have experience as a mediator, working out solutions between differing parties. While I do have my beliefs I do not believe in dismissing those who think differently.

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

I feel the biggest problem right now is communication. The BOE needs to be open with parents. The 'why' and 'what' need to be explained, reasons need to be given, and we should use all methods available. Facebook may seem toxic but it can also be used to give more information to the community, while at the same time dissuading misinformation.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

It was a difficult period and it's easy to look back and say I would have done differently, but it's impossible to say that while not being there and being presented with information that helped them make those decisions. I do feel hybrid could have been offered sooner, as it did cause issues with logistics of working out in class and remote during the school year, but again, when you're not involved it's hard to say.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We do need to take a hard look at bullying and fighting in our schools. We should look into peer involvement in helping with disputes, especially on the high school level. We also have many students struggling, academically and mentally, with the return to school. We need to address those issues and get them the help they need.

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

I served on the New Searles PTO for several years, and we accomplished a lot of great things together, as a team. We were able to work with the Principal, teachers and students to help them achieve many of the goals they set out. I also worked as a Student Activities Coordinator at a college in NYC, where working hand in hand with the Student Services Director we were able to make great strides in improving student life. Although at the level of higher education, we were able to implement many peer programs to identify and help struggling students.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You may be right, but that doesn't mean they're wrong.

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

My goals are communication, compassion and compromise. If we can't work together we will fail, and that shouldn't be an option.