Occupation: Retired/School Volunteer 3 days a week
How long have you lived in Manchester? Since January 1991, so 34 years.
Hobbies/Fun Fact about you/other biographical info. I was an Art and Biology teacher at the Magnet School of the Arts in Rochester, NY, after receiving my BFA in Medical Illustration with an Associate’s in Biology from RIT. I moved to Manchester to attend Massachusetts College of Art to get my Master’s Degree in Painting and we decided to stay in Manchester and raise our two children, sending them to Manchester City public schools K-12, attending McDonough, Hillside MS and graduating from Central HS. I enjoy reading, volunteering, spending time with friends and attending my Grace Episcopal Church.
Why should someone vote for you?
It is more important than ever to elect people who actually believe in public education. As a former student, teacher, parent and current volunteer in pubic education I will always stand up for what is right for our students and families!
How many public high schools should there be in Manchester, where should they be and should any of them be magnet schools?
I was a member of the board that approved the 10-4-3 model for school configuration. Three high schools could meet the needs of all of our students. Having taught in an Arts Magnet school I think that has tremendous potential. The school where I taught has the highest graduation rates of any school in that district. Students are very motivated by their passions to attend classes and do well. It is something I would love for us to consider.
Should all public high schools in Manchester offer some sort of vocational training or should vocational classes by centralized at the current Manchester School of Technology campus?
This question pits the ideal against the practical. Vocational education is extremely important and must be offered. It would be ideal for students to have these classes available at their high school but duplication of programs doesn’t seem practical. Perhaps there is some hybrid version that could work? I would want to see how other communities our size are achieving positive results.
What is your opinion on the first phase of the Manchester School District’s facilities plan? (finishing fifth grade expansions at the middle schools/new Beech Street Elementary)
Moving the 5th grades to the middle schools has helped us achieve lower class sizes K-4 and reduced behaviors at the elementary level. It has allowed our 5th grade students to have a full class of both Science and Social Studies every day, as well as, to participate in extracurricular sports and clubs. It has been over 70 years since Manchester has built a new school while smaller communities like Goffstown, Nashua and Dover have all invested in new 21st Century schools. It is long over due that we build schools to serve our diverse student population. I am proud that our board chose to place this brand new school in the city center to serve some of our neediest students and families.
What is your opinion of Education Freedom Accounts?
I understand families want options. My question is; instead of undermining public schools why doesn’t the State change the education funding formula to fully fund our public schools without burdening local taxpayers to make up the difference? New Hampshire has the lowest state funded per pupil spending in the nation. The difference is made up by all of us in our local property taxes. I strongly believe that EFA’s are going to cause a huge State Budget issue since they were changed this year to include families at all income levels.
How can the Manchester School District attract and retain talented staff?
We have the best teachers and staff anywhere! People teach here because they love our students and see all the diversity as a big plus. The board increased salaries and wages last term to make us competitive with surrounding districts. We have also made big investments in professional development to help support our staff. Our employees are the heart of our district so we will need to be able to continue to invest in them.
What are your thoughts on the Manchester School District’s curricula?
We adopted new curricula a few years back and then hit a pandemic. The investments in these high quality curricula are just now coming to fruition with increased test scores and graduation rates. We have also begun a Dual Language Immersion program in Spanish at Bakersville Elementary last year and added a Dual Language Immersion program at Weston in French this year. They are the only such programs in the state!
What are your thoughts on school budget deliberations in 2026?
The school budget is going to be extremely difficult so the board has decided to begin these discussions earlier than usual, having already done a training on budget building. Because our Tax-cap Compliant Budget was cut by $8.5M by the BMA for this school year, it will be necessary to make up that amount before we even think about what our schools need for the upcoming school year. Transportation and special education are issues affecting school districts all across the country within enormous increased costs. All that while facing Federal Education cuts to programs and the State threatening to limit State Differentiated Aid to Manchester due to the high number of students on Free and Reduced Lunch programs in our city is going to make for a difficult budget season this year. I will do my best to advocate for solutions to maintain the progress we have made and help us continue to improve.
Anything else you’d like to add not mentioned here and what is the best way voters can reach you if they have more questions?
I am honored and humbled by the trust Ward 4 voters have placed in me over the last 5 terms and hope I can earn your vote once again. Anyone with questions or concerns can email me at BOSCward4@mansd.org or call my cell at 603-438-9682. God bless!