Cardona Lebron appointed to Laconia School Board to fill Ward 5 seat

LACONIA — The Laconia School Board introduced Amber Cardona Lebron as its newest member Tuesday night, bringing on an alum with two students in city schools to fill a vacancy in Ward 5 until the Nov. 4 election.

Cardona Lebron expressed interest in staying on the board. To do so, she will need to run as a write-in candidate to serve the one year remaining in the term.

“I would like to continue after this appointment,” Cardona Lebron said. “My goal is to contribute and give back to the schools that gave to me. Ultimately, it will be up to my neighbors and community to decide, but I am committed to serving in any way I can.”

Interim Superintendent Amy Hinds is excited to have a Laconia schools alum on the board, as Cardona Lebron attended Woodland Heights, Laconia Middle and graduated from adult education at Laconia High School in 2014. She is also the mother of two boys who currently attend Pleasant Street School.

“As a resident of Laconia and a parent who is deeply invested in the success of our schools, I believe I can bring a strong commitment, thoughtful perspective, and dedication to serving the students, families, and educators of our community,” said Cardona Lebron.

The school board appointed her into her seat on Sept. 2, and Cardona Lebron was introduced to the public at the beginning of Tuesday evening’s school board meeting. This followed several days of orientation where she toured the schools and met with teachers and staff with Hinds.

“It was very exciting to bring Amber around to all of the schools,” said Hinds.

During the tour, Cardona Lebron was able to run into old teachers. She also met with principals and other administrators.

“It was nice to be able to put a face to the administration that we talk about at the meetings,” Hinds said.

Hinds said the orientation involved a packet outlining key roles and responsibilities of the board as defined by the New Hampshire Department of Education and state statutes. They discussed the board structure and how it operates under the fiscal responsibility of the city.

Hinds and Cardona Lebron spoke about how each member is on two committees, and discussed the board's standing committees. They also went over district policies and how the school board governs them.

The next step for Cardona Lebron is to meet with Hinds and other members of the administration to better understand their roles.

“We discussed this and kind of the flow chart of how that works, like the school board hires the superintendent who then hires everyone else,” Hinds explained. “Basically, the chain of command and who oversees what.”

A large part of a school board member’s job is budget oversight, so Cardona Lebron was provided a copy of the approved 2025-26 budget for review.

Hinds spoke very highly of Cardona Lebron, and is looking forward to working with her.

“Amber is lovely and very excited and eager to participate on the board,” said Hinds. “She explained that education is important to her, and she takes it very seriously with her children in the school district.”

Cardona Lebron said she is committed to ensuring the district continues providing high quality educational opportunities to prepare students for the challenges the world brings them. This is not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.

“My hope is to encourage the district’s students to see education as a lifelong pursuit including and beyond the classroom,” Cardona Lebron said.

The Ward 5 seat was vacated in July by former Chair Nick Grenon, who stepped down, citing personal reasons for his departure.

Cardona Lebron will need 35 write-in votes to be elected in November. If nobody earns enough write-in votes, the school board can make an appointment to fill the seat until the election in 2026.