One Concord School Board Member Is Running In 2026, Another Is Out, While A 3rd Is On The Fence

CONCORD, NH — One is in, one is out, one is on the fence.

This fall, voters will decide who will fill three Zone seats on the board of education. A resident from Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be elected to the Zone A seat; a Ward 5, 6, and 7 resident will be elected for Zone B, and Zone C will be represented by a resident from Wards 8, 9, and 10.

Brenda Hastings, a former Concord elementary school teacher who is finishing up her second three-year term on the board for Zone C, confirmed comments she made after being reelected in 2023 that she would not be running again.

“I hope we will have great candidates from District C,” she said.

Elizabeth Boucher, who is at the end of her first term representing Ward 5, 6, and 7 in the Zone B seat, said as of right now, she was running for reelection.

“My kids still have a lot of time left in the Concord School District, and now more than ever there is urgency to protect public education in the state of New Hampshire,” she said.

Boucher said she thought she brought “a different perspective” to the board and had already invested “countless volunteer hours as a volunteer coordinator for a food pantry, the Family Center Market, that primarily supports Christa McAuliffe School families.” Families, she added, relied on partnerships with public and private orgs to meet students' needs.

“I will continue to support establishing new and strengthening existing community partnerships,” she added.

Jessica Campbell, however, who represents Zone A, and is also at the end of her first term, is on the fence.

She said she wanted to wait to see how her future commitments would be.

“At this time, I am undecided,” she said.

Info Night

The district will host its traditional Board of Education Information Night at 5 p.m. on Sept. 1 at the district’s meeting space at 38 Liberty St.

The event is an opportunity to speak with current members about the position and all that it entails.

Sign Up Details

Sign-ups for board candidacies will begin on Sept. 4 at the district’s central office at 38 Liberty St. during office hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last day to file will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 14.

Election day is Nov. 3.

Concord NH Patch and Concord TV have also agreed to host at a forum or forums for the candidates before the election.

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