Get used to him: Champlin to stay in superintendent role through 2025-26 school year

LACONIA — Bob Champlin will continue to serve as superintendent of city schools beyond this school year, and Nick Grenon will serve as the next chair, following actions taken at the school board meeting on Tuesday night.

Also at the meeting, the first since the board election was held on Nov. 5, new board members Zachary Dea and Nancy Simoneau, and returning board member Jennifer Anderson, were sworn in to their three-year terms. Finally, the board approved a plan to improve recruitment and retention of custodial staff, which will result in a pay raise in time for the holidays.

Champlin had a 31-year career with Laconia schools, culminating with a 13-year tenure as superintendent prior to a retirement necessitated by health concerns in 2013. He had been acting as a consultant to then-superintendent Steve Tucker until Tucker's unexpected resignation in August of this year, and Champlin was appointed interim superintendent for the start of the 2024-25 year.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board voted unanimously to extend Champlin's employment through the 2025-26 school year.

Grenon, the newly-elected board chair, said he supported the measure because it “allows us to do a thorough process” in searching for Champlin's eventual successor.

Board member Karin Salome noted representatives of both unions — those representing certified teachers as well as paraprofessional staff — sent letters of support for the measure, which she said was “very reassuring.”

LaToya Beck, board member, said she has “heard a lot of great feedback and I love working with Superintendent Champlin,” yet she assured those observing the meeting, “we are not stopping looking for a superintendent.” She said she hoped Champlin would help facilitate a smooth transition, so when the next superintendent is hired, “you can train them to be just as great as you are.”

Board member Laura Dunn said she was “really excited” to have Champlin continue. “I am hoping that with Bob at the helm, the board will have a high standard of transparency and integrity moving forward.”

Following the unanimous vote in support of the proposal, a round of applause broke out, which included board members as well as a handful of district employees who attended.

Though the extension of Champlin’s service seemed well-received, it was not without drama. The proposal was first made public during the final week of October, when the possibility was placed on the agenda of a meeting of the budget and personnel committee, chaired by Dunn. When that meeting was held Nov. 1, Dunn chastised Anderson for apparently discussing the possible move with then-board member Heather Drolet prior to the Oct. 16 board meeting, more than a week before Dunn was made aware of it.

At the committee meeting, Dunn said Drolet had declined to bring the matter up during a board meeting, and Dunn told Anderson that leaving her in the dark about the matter resulted in her “wasting time” as she researched superintendent search strategies.

In an email sent to all board members and to The Daily Sun, Drolet clarified that she supported Champlin staying on as superintendent but didn’t want to propose such an action at her last meeting as a board member. Drolet chose not to run for reelection.

“I think it is important that the new board take action on this matter. I did not feel that, as an outgoing board member, I should be influencing the direction of the board,” Drolet said. She also added Dunn didn’t express any concerns during their conversation about the fact Anderson had consulted her between meetings.

“If a board member felt strongly that time was being wasted, they could have made a motion to amend the agenda to move forward with the search process,” Drolet wrote. She concluded her email with a hope transparency could be a concerted goal of the incoming board, “not only transparency between the District and the Board, but also among the Board members themselves.”

In other business, the board elected Grenon, who joined the group last year, as board chair. He was nominated by Anderson, the outgoing chair, and his nomination was seconded by Dea. The motion carried 6-1, with Dunn the sole dissenter. There was no discussion or other nominations made.

Anderson was elected vice chair, and Amy Hinds, assistant superintendent, was reappointed clerk for the board.

The board also approved a plan to improve the district’s ability to recruit and retain custodial staff who, unlike teachers and educational assistants, aren’t organized under a labor association.

The plan calls for raising base pay to $18.04 per hour, which makes Laconia competitive with or better than other surrounding districts. Additionally, each building would establish a “lead custodian,” who would accept greater responsibility and be paid $22.05 per hour, and custodians who work the second shift would get a $1 per hour pay differential.

As a result of the plan, each custodian will receive an increase equal to 5% to 19% of their current pay. Changing to the new pay schedule will cost the district an additional $60,000.

Custodians should see the new pay schedule reflected in checks issued on Wednesday, Nov. 27.