The Story
There’s a seat on the school board that’s up for grabs.
How?
John Schneller’s seat is officially up for election next month. Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the election.
When is it?
Local elections will take place on Tuesday, March 8th. Students will get to relax and have the day off, while teachers have a workshop and eligible citizens can vote.
So who’s running?
There are three competitors in this race: Sean Monroe, Andrea Campbell, and incumbent John Schneller. Monroe is a Bedford parent, Campbell is a former teacher, and Schneller is…well Schneller. We’ve brought you plenty of information about him before.
What is Monroe’s platform?
According to the signs around town, Sean Monroe is running on a platform of “prioritizing academics and parental rights”. Now we’re not entirely sure what he means by “prioritizing academics” and quite frankly neither does anyone else because Monroe has blatantly refused to answer any questions about his stances on various issues online. He was also involved in the lawsuit against the district last spring over the mask mandate. Spoiler alert: he didn’t want masks required in schools. So maybe he’s advocating for the parental right of letting kids get COVID?
What about Schneller’s platform?
Unlike Monroe, Schneller does actually have a website for his campaign. He has one child in the district and one in a private school outside the district. He’s running for his second term on the school board and has experience in finance, but no education experience at all. Schneller’s website claims that he believes in local education led by hardworking teachers and administrators; however, just last week he spent a good chunk of the board meeting arguing against the superintendent and other well-informed individuals about the way the district handles mental health issues. Kind of hypocritical…
And Campbell’s platform?
Andrea Campbell is an experienced educator who has worked at both SNHU and UNH. She also has 12 years of elementary education experience. One of her Responsive Classroom projects involved students writing letters to important figures in their lives, teaching them valuable language and writing skills. State legislators Sue Mullen and Catherine Rombeau have both publicly supported Campbell. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an experienced educator on the school board?
What else is the election on?
Other open positions that are being voted on next month include Town Council seats and Library Trustee on the town side. On the school district side, the School District Treasurer and School District Clerk are open in addition to the School Board seat.
The Runaway
Put that democracy into action and go vote next month!
What to Say…
When the NFL isn’t the only thing wrapping up…
The winter sports season is coming to an end, with several sports finishing up their seasons this week. Boys basketball lost to Trinity on Saturday 78-65. This second-round playoff game will mark the end of their season with a final record of 12-8. Better than .500! The girls varsity basketball team is playing in the semifinals against Portsmouth tomorrow after having a bye in the first round and beating Goffstown in the second round of the playoffs. Gymnastics had an eventful weekend when they had to be evacuated from the state meet due to a bomb threat, but they placed 3rd overall with 134.025 points. The boys varsity hockey team plays Marblehead High School tonight (we’ve never heard of them either). They have four more regular season games before playoffs start over break. Girls hockey has two more regular season games, and their 6-10 record makes playoffs questionable. Swimming had an excellent day at the state meet yesterday: both the boys and girls took the state title. The girls team accumulated nearly double the points of the next closest school and the boys were also comfortably ahead of their runner up. Also, the girls set a new state record in the 200m freestyle relay! Before we know it, we’ll be into the spring sports season.
When you’re feeling represented…
Last week, two members of the Community Senate, Avi Goldman and Sofia Di Stefano attended a school board meeting to discuss the latest Community Senate meeting. Bless their courageous souls. They braved the storm to brief the school-board members about current situations at BHS and beyond – the bathroom closures, the issues at lunch, and more. The Community Senate is attempting to reach more students to get involved with the decisions they’re making. Keep an eye out for a newsletter from Matthew Pemberton about what they’ve been up to during those meetings. And if you see your senator passing in the hall, maybe give them a thank you, and a high-five for all their hard work.
Things to Know
In case you were wondering…
The school board FINALLY passed the district stress, anxiety, & mental health goal in a 4-1 vote (you guessed it – Schneller was the dissenting vote). The district will be providing a webinar for parents to learn more about it.
Where did the virus go?
BHS students have mysteriously stopped receiving emails about COVID cases on a daily basis. There are now just 21 cases in the district, with 5 at the high school, compared to the 200+ a month or so ago.
When duty calls…
All the bathrooms at BHS will reopen today. We’re hoping people will stay civilized enough to keep those bathrooms open.