Laconia superintendent steps down

LACONIA — Steve Tucker, who had been superintendent of the city’s school district since 2019, stepped down from his position on Tuesday.

Tucker announced his decision in a brief letter, addressed to the school board:

“Please accept this letter of resignation effective today, August 20 at the end of the work day. I am stepping down as Superintendent of the Laconia School District for personal and family reasons.

“I wish you all a fantastic 2024-25 school year and thank you for your commitment to the students, staff, and families in our Great Little City.”

Bob Champlin, who preceded Tucker in the role and served at times as a consultant to the district in more recent years, will serve as interim superintendent.

Tucker, who worked for 20 years as a teacher at Laconia High School, had a rocky tenure as the district’s top administrator. Two years after taking the job, there were enough complaints to the school board that the district hired an independent investigator to look into his leadership practices.

The report, which was released in 2023, concluded that Tucker hadn’t engaged in specific actions as alleged by complainants, but that he did create a “dysfunctional and toxic work environment,” in the words of investigator Mary Weiss Ford.

Another headache for the district was the firing of former business administrator Christine Blouin in March of 2022. Tucker terminated Blouin for alleged breach of contract, in which case she was not due about $34,000 in unused paid time off. Blouin, however, claimed her firing was in retaliation for her participation in the investigation into Tucker’s leadership. A lengthy legal battle ensued, which the district only dropped earlier this year, and the ordeal cost the district more than triple the amount it initially withheld from Blouin.

Despite the controversies, the board has publicly stood by Tucker.

Following his resignation, School Board Chair Jennifer Anderson said in an email that working with Tucker has been a highlight of her first term on the board.

“I have been impressed and humbled by his unwavering support of our Laconia community, and I cannot wait to see the myriad of ways that he will continue to positively impact our (in his words) Great Little City.”