Four Candidates Running for Two School Board Seats

There will be four names on this year’s school election ballot for two, three-year seats on the School Board.
We asked each candidate to answer two questions:
1: What do you feel is the largest concern for the school district in the next three years and how will you help deal with it?
2: Why are you the best choice for voters?
The following are theirs answer to the question:

Amanda Butcher – Incumbent

1: The largest concern for our school district is making sure each student has the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional skills they need to have a meaningful school experience. We can do this by providing them with what they need to be successful in the moment, with the goal of best preparing them for their adult lives. Regardless of whether our students choose to continue their formal education in a college program, pursue a trade, or focus on building life skills, they need to maximize their independence, each student should have access to the best possible education for them. Last year, our overall proficiency in Reading and Math test scores for grades 3-12 hovered right around the state average at 56% and 45%, respectively. When compared to a surrounding town, Londonderry was up to 27% lower. Our incoming first graders have test scores that are below the state average in Reading and Math when compared to the rest of the state. This is following a year in a Kindergarten program which gives them 675 hours less of education per year, when compared with the programs offered to their peers in almost every other town in the state. Part of improving means looking objectively at what we do well, but also what we can do better. Last year, I supported a comprehensive review of our special education program to ensure we can identify areas for future growth. I will continue to support the best curriculums, programs, and methods, and will advocate for our staff members to receive the resources, support, and training they need to accomplish these goals. We have some absolutely amazing support staff, teachers, and administrators, and it’s also important they receive what they need to be successful.

2: I started my career in education supporting children with special needs as a paraprofessional. As I started to see my students progress, I knew that helping them succeed is what I was meant to do. I returned to school and received a master’s degree in education, focusing on leadership, teaching, and educational transformation, in addition to earning a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. In my career, I have worked with students with developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as emotional-behavioral disorders. Most recently, I oversee a team of professionals and collaborate with school teams to build systems and implement interventions to effect positive change in both general and special education. I have close to 17 years of experience working with staff members and students, most of which has been spent in public schools across NH. Working as a paraprofessional, consultant, and now an administrator gives me a unique perspective that benefits me in my role as a member of the Londonderry School Board.
As a community, I believe our greatest asset is our different perspectives and willingness to work together, Simply put, I’m someone who believes that people who think differently can find common ground and work together. I am a team player who is open-minded and collaborative. Week after week I sit next to four other individuals with different backgrounds and opinions who care deeply about our town. We don’t always agree, but every one of us is dedicated to listening, researching the best paths forward, asking questions, seeking out feedback, making responsible and thoughtful financial decisions, and providing what we feel is the best and safest experience for every Londonderry student. I would be honored to remain a member of this team.

Sara Loughlin – Incumdent

1: The primary focus for our district in the upcoming years revolves around two key issues: the implementation of full-day Kindergarten and addressing current building requirements, particularly regarding the Moose Hill expansion. Two articles on the ballot this March will specifically address these concerns. If approved by the community, these articles will pave the way for evaluating the current needs of our district office and determining subsequent steps in our master plan. However, if these articles are not passed, we will need to reassess our approach to accommodating the growing number of needs, particularly in addressing the overcrowding issues at Moose Hill, which primarily affects our youngest learners.
Regarding full-day Kindergarten, it’s essential to note that our community currently stands as one of the few in the state without this offering. Implementing full-day Kindergarten would provide our 5-year-old learners with an additional 103 school days annually, significantly enhancing their foundational education. This extended time frame allows us to better nurture and develop our students, laying a stronger groundwork for their future academic success.
The decisions made in March will greatly impact our district’s trajectory over the next few years. It is my intention to disseminate pertinent information to the community, ensuring everyone is well-informed about the facts surrounding Kindergarten options, current building needs, and future infrastructure requirements. Empowering our community with comprehensive information will enable them to make informed decisions that best serve the needs of our students and the broader community.

2: It has been a fulfilling experience serving our town on the School Board for the past three years, and I am eager to continue for another term. While we’ve achieved remarkable progress during this time, there remains much to be done. As a candidate for re-election, I am confident that my dedication to education and collaborative approach make me the ideal choice. With nearly two decades of experience in public education as both a school administrator and teacher, I have worked closely with teachers, students, and parents from diverse backgrounds. I am deeply committed to ensuring equity for all learners and actively support extracurricular activities that allow our children to thrive and express themselves. I am determined to advocate tirelessly for the best interests of our students, teachers, and community. Additionally, I firmly believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork, and I am committed to working closely with fellow board members, administrators, teachers, parents, and community members to develop effective solutions and make informed decisions that benefit our schools and community.

Alan Roy

1: Public school enrollment has been on a steady decline for the past 20 years with no sign of it turning around. And what online schooling has shown parents during COVID has proven that students aren’t getting the education they should. Stop trying to build unnecessary larger schools in hopes of attracting families to Londonderry and focus on better education to attract families to Londonderry.

2: Why are you the best choice for voters? My wife and I were foster parents for 9 years with a specialized foster program dealing with children and teens coming from difficult situations. We had to have an understanding of the children’s individual needs in order to deal with their families, schools, social situations and in some cases moving them onto productive lives.
I want what’s best for the children because they will be in our positions some day. And what’s best for the taxpayers because without that balance whether you know it or not, your home situation does affect your children. Statistics show that children in financially struggling households have difficulty concentrating in school and getting better grades.

Ken Samoisette

1: There are many concerns for every U.S. public school, Londonderry overall is great.
We thought so when we moved here in 2004 when my daughter was 1.
2004 seems like a different world now. I could watch PBS with my children and not see Seasme Street illegally push MRNA gene therapy as a vaccine as safe and effective. I could watch Blues Clues and not see LGB ideology pushed and pedo-story time promoted to my child under five years old. Shameful times!
A schools job is to educate with logic not ideology. Seemingly innocuous SEL and STEM is not designed to educate but rather shift a child’s core beliefs, attitudes, values, and behavior. SEL and or CASEL is indoctrination of radical left ideology that over time shifts a child’s overall attitudes and beliefs.
A review of SEL by the Epoch Times revealed highly controversial teachings of sexuality and sex, race and racism, gender and class, economic liberty, family and marriage. Just ask your kids if they aspire for marriage or a nuclear family and see if they aspire to your beliefs or those of our generations before. An obliteration of traditional sexual morality and biological sex in the minds of children is taking place.
There are many studies that prove this, and if you have an appreciation of how mandatory public schools were created you’ll better understand the communist agenda that was designed to erode Christianity and morality. Public education on the federal level is a billions of dollars industry. It is untouchable; many have tried and failed. The only chance we have is locally to protect what we believe in and what sets America apart from every other country in the world. I see on the School Board a lot of spending and reaching out to federal agencies. Reaching out to the devil for the sake of dollars is widely accepted and unquestioned. I will question if I am elected to the school board. I will ask why and not be afraid to be the only “no” vote on anything.
I will end with a quote from Mark Twain that everyone should know:
“In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” – Notebook, 1904