From the Concord Monitor
Unity was the message residents delivered to the Hillsboro-Deering School Board at last night’s meeting as board members began work to select a new member.
Six candidates applied for the fifth spot on the board, which opened last month after former chairwoman Babette Haley resigned. Haley, who served on the board for seven years, said she left because of constant disputes with board member John Segedy, who was elected to the board last year. In that time, the two disagreed over a range of issues, leading to criticism that the board’s divisiveness was preventing work from progressing.
“I have a keen interest in education and I’m obviously very disturbed at what I’ve heard. It’s imperative that this board come together and act responsibly,” said John Priesing of Deering. “With this less-than-good reputation, it’s difficult attracting good teachers, good administrators and even good board members. If it doesn’t improve, I’m concerned about the future of this district.”
The first hour was designated as a meet-and-greet-style forum for the six applicants: Clint Brake, Linda Cox-Hernandez, Richard Pellitier, Marjorie Porter, Pamela Stohrer and Randy Welch. The meeting was then opened up to comments from the public. The board went into a nonpublic session at about 8:30 to deliberate on the applicants. Results were not available late last night.
Several residents encouraged the board to consider Marjorie Porter, who said her experience teaching in the district for 15 years and as former president of the Hillsboro-Deering Federation of Teachers gives her a unique perspective on how the board should function.
Porter lost runs for the school board twice before and was narrowly defeated last March by interim vice chairman Paul Plater. She said many people approached her after Haley resigned and asked her to fill the vacancy until elections in 2009. Porter said she wants to restore some balance that has been lost in the bickering.
“It’s strongly emphasized in the Hillsboro school system to treat people with respect. That’s not what I have heard and seen in interactions between school board members, teachers, administrators and the public. That’s unfortunate for the children we are trying to set an example for. The antagonism between the board and officials has to stop,” Porter said in an interview yesterday. “I know that a lot of people in the community are concerned and I’m hoping, if I were to be appointed, that I could bring a voice of reason and a breath of fresh air into the proceedings. This is getting us nowhere.”
Since Haley’s departure, board meetings have been less tumultuous, Segedy said. “Even though it’s a four-member board, we’ve been very productive, I think. We’ve gotten a lot of things done in a short time,” he said.
Applicant Randy Welch, a former school board member, said he would bring knowledge from his past roles of simultaneously serving as an administrator and on a school board in a separate town. He said he has no intention of running again in March, but that he wants to “get the board back on track” to finish up the current term.
“We’re about to enter budget season. I know first hand it’s a difficult time to be on the school board,” Welch said. “Whoever gets on needs to restore some stability. . . . We need to stop the behaviors we wouldn’t expect from children.”
John Bramley, a teacher at Hillsboro-Deering High School asked the board to consider the interests of the students in making a decision.
“We need to get the civility back. You need to pick a candidate who is going to work with you, not against you.”
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