Ward 4 school board candidate steps to the plate

LACONIA — LaToya Beck, a self-described “sports parent” to three sons, is running unopposed in the election to represent Ward 4 on the Laconia School Board. 

Beck said she is running as a way to embody the hands-on, open-minded approach she hopes more Laconia parents will bring to their children's education.

“First and foremost is just to listen and learn,” Beck said in an interview. “As a parent, we all have our own opinions of how things are supposed to go. Is it really that easy to change that? Probably not.” 

Beck’s sons, aged 8, 17 and 19, are involved, three-sport athletes, and she’s matched their dedication with her own involvement as a coach, bookkeeper and volunteer. Now, as her middle son is entering his senior year, those commitments are easing, and she hopes to channel her energy into civic service.

Once elected, Beck said she’ll approach every topic with an expectation and willingness to learn.

“When people talk about the school board, they say there's a lot of things that you don't know that goes behind the scenes. Perfect. Let me learn those things,” Beck said.

Learning and listening, for Beck, go hand in hand. Her career means she works with a broad range of personalities, and she described herself as an easygoing, personable and open person. 

“You just don't want to be a person that's combative or opposed [to] every single thing that each individual board member has to do,” she continued. 

Having had positive experiences in the district, and noting that all of her sons went to Woodland Heights Elementary, Beck said she isn’t running with any specific agenda. But, as she has done in athletics, she aims to embody how parents can be participants, rather than commentators, when it comes to supporting better student outcomes.

“Being a sports parent is constantly, constantly looking for volunteers,” Beck said. “When you're volunteering, you can hear different types of background chatter, like, ‘Oh my goodness, this should be done, this should be done.’ Where are you? If you were here, maybe you would be able to help that, maybe you'd be able to fill that space.”

The same approach, she believes, can be brought to the board: “If families start to get involved with their students’ academics, athletics, I think we'll be in a better place,” Beck said. “I think the community needs each other more” than they need major changes. 

Beck, who works for a hearing aid company, grew up in Illinois and moved to Laconia 12 years ago. She is the sole candidate in the race to fill the Ward 4 seat whose current occupant, Dawn Johnson, did not file for reelection after six years on the board. 

Three-year school board terms expire on a rotating annual basis. The other school board race this year, in Ward 5, is also uncontested. Incumbent Nick Grenon, who joined the board in 2020 and serves as vice chair, was the lone filer. School board races in Laconia have no primaries regardless of the number of filers; candidates will appear on the ballot in November’s municipal election.