11 candidates vie to take 5 slots

NASHUA — Problems those seeking election to the Nashua Board of Education on Tuesday will need to resolve include:

• Reports of fighting and bullying at middle schools;

• An ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation regarding whether the school district is failing to provide adequate services to students whose primary language is not English; and

• State Department of Education reports that show student proficiency in math, science and English on the decline.

There are 11 candidates are competing for five available seats on the BOE, including Jennifer Bishop, Jessica Brown, Howard Coffman, Sharon Giglio, Burt Janz, Doris Hohensee, Paula Johnson, Renata Olszewski, Jamila Scales, Greg Surbey and Sandra Ziehm.

Wednesday, candidates spoke at the Nashua Public Library during a forum moderated by the League of Women Voters New Hampshire.

Coffman

Current BOE member Coffman said his voting record, along with everything he has said or done, has been governed by three things: transparency, accountability and fairness.

“If you believe the district lacks academic and vocational focus, that genuine parental and staff concerns for safety have gone unanswered, that spending should be based on need, that the rule of law matters and that the middle school renovation project should be thoroughly researched, then vote for me and my colleagues on the ballot,” Coffman said. “I’m running as part of a slate of candidates that includes Doris Hohensee, Burt Janz, Paula Johnson and Greg Surbey. Collectively, we will restore the governing authority of the board and we’ll make sure that district actions and policy conform to the law, and that student and staff safety along with academic and vocational training gets the priority it deserves.”

When asked what he sees as some of the most acute needs of Nashua students and schools, Coffman said academic performance.

Hohensee

Hohensee is also seeking re-election. She said her goal is to put students first.

“I took an oath to hold up the law so I take that very seriously,” Hohensee said. “My job is to make the schools better for the students and the students first.”

“We have to make sure that the rules we have are executed fairly,” Hohensee said. “…If we have fair rules and they’re implemented fairly, I think the students will have less problems.”

Similar to Coffman, Hohensee also sees proficiency as a problem.

“I’m not attacking teachers; I’m not attacking students. Maybe the materials we’re using aren’t optimal. Maybe teachers know, having feet on the ground, what could improve learning in their classroom. I’d like to open that dialog up,” Hohensee said.

Surbey

Surbey is an informational technology professional who took it upon himself to begin watching board meetings. He is running to follow the laws and get the board’s quorum back in place.

“I want to make learning more dynamic with students. It would be nice to have decision making pushed locally to teachers and the classrooms and shake the curriculum up a little bit where students can gravitate toward subjects they are interested in rather than following a static track,” Surbey said.

When asked about handling safety issues such as bullying and school shootings, Surbey said, “If you don’t have safety in your life, how are you supposed to be open to learning?”

“I think bullying is definitely the heart of this issue. A lot of these school shootings, unfortunately, have started with bullying. It can escalate,” he added.

Giglio

Giglio began her career in education in the early 1990s as a paraprofessional at New Searles Elementary School. After this, she worked as a school librarian in Massachusetts until 2016 when she retired.

“I see, every day, the challenges that are faced by our students and our staff,” Giglio said.

On the topic of safety, Giglio said, “Working in the schools on a daily basis, the children’s safety is a primary concern. I’ve been involved in drills that we’ve practiced to handle if an intruder comes into the school. I have seen the fear in little kids’ eyes and even the older children.”

She added, “I think that we need staff that stay with the children in the schools because we are in each school a family and when you look around the schools and you have drills going on … they want familiar faces to make them feel safe.”

When asked what she sees as one or two of the most acute needs of Nashua students and schools, Giglio said, “I’m very concerned about the whole child and I’m concerned that we meet all of their needs to the best of their ability.”

Bishop

Bishop is a graduate of Nashua High School South and a social worker. She said she’s been working with children since she graduated college. Bishop has a goal of making sure all students are provided the opportunity to succeed. She believes she is the candidate to elect because she is level headed and is aware of the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

On the issue of safety, Bishop said she believes that Social Emotional Learning should begin earlier than high school so kids and students can learn how to manage their feelings, which she said often times results in bullying when not managed correctly.

“I think adults in the school system and on the board need to model intellectual emotional intelligence we need to take the whole child into account,” she added.

What is important to Bishop is providing students with a well-rounded education.

“I believe that we can have plans that meet the multifaceted needs of the students but also support the teachers in helping those plans,” Bishop said.

Ziehm

Ziehm previously served as the board chair and has served on every committee of the board.

She believes it’s essential for different parties to be able to work together to meet the needs of the diverse community. Her primary concern for the district is the size of the classroom.

“It’s not unusual to have 23, or 24 kids. That wouldn’t be bad if they all came from ideal homes.. But most of them do not,” Ziehm said.

For the board, she believes that Robert’s Rules of Order need to be enforced and that there needs to be time limits to make sure everyone gets to speak.

Brown

Brown is a parent of an elementary school and middle school students in the Nashua School District. She is also a teacher and has experience serving on a nonprofit board.

“It’s time for the families of Nashua to be represented on the Board of Education and I am here for you,” Brown said. “It’s time for a fresh perspective.”

Brown believes bullying is a systemic problem.

“We need to start younger, we need to foster an environment of love in our schools,” Brown said.

When asked what she sees as one or two of the most acute needs of Nashua students and schools, Brown said good training of paraprofessionals and professional development for teachers.

Scales

Scales is a parent of three students who have been in the Nashua School District, two who have graduated, and one who is on her way. She is also a paraprofessional and a Sunday School teacher.

“I believe that our students need to be prepared for tomorrow, for the future,” Scales said. “I believe that we need to make sure our children are prepared for tomorrow by ensuring their education is accurate, equal, diverse and we have it strong.”

When asked what she sees as one or two of the most acute needs of Nashua students and schools, Scales said teaching students how to handle adverse situations.

“We now have the opportunity to deal with the children’s social emotional learning. We have the opportunity to listen to them and teach them how to handle adverse situations and they need that capability, not in high school but in the middle schools and elementary,” Scales said.

Olszewski

Olszewski said her story is one of an immigrant.

“I wanted to run for the school board because I love my community and I have four students in public schools. I want better education for all our students,” Olszewski said.

Olszewski left the forum shortly after it started due to an emergency.

Janz

When referencing the recent Fairgrounds Middle School bullying incident, Janz said, “RSA 310, covers discipline in schools and gives the Board of Education and the school district the ability to properly execute discipline in cases of bullying. Why wasn’t that policy followed? That falls strictly down, right down, onto the district itself. We have policies, we have laws, we have rules. We should not be afraid of having the school district sued by somebody’s parents when that child violates the civil rights of another child.”

He added, “Safety is important because children are going to feel it, that they have the freedom to learn.”

As for the board, he said, “The board should not be like a Thanksgiving dinner at your family’s house with people yelling at each other and throwing food.”

Johnson

Johnson is a former board member, former Nashua Board of Aldermen member and former New Hampshire House member.

Due to a prior commitment, Johnson was unable to attend the forum, but issued a written statement:

“I am a candidate to return to the Board of Education. After a previous term on the Board, she has been urged by many people in the community to run once again.

The generally accepted purpose of public education is to create good citizens. In order to be a good citizen, a student must learn the basics: reading, writing, arithmetic. Without a solid basic foundation, our students are doomed to failure.”

Grace Pecci may be reached at 594-1243, or at gpecci@nashuatelegraph.com.

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