Liana Crowell: School board is to ensure community represented, not to work for chair

To The Daily Sun,

Over the last year, the Laconia School Board has been plagued with unprofessional, disrespectful and shameful behavior by board members. Exiting board Chair Aaron Hayward's letter to the editor directly targeting board members Laura Dunn and Dawn Johnson was no deviation from his role in that behavior. If anything, it shows that his role was central in leading said behavior against fellow members who did not share his opinions.

A seven-member board is intended to bring diverse representation and voice to the board, ensuring that the community is represented and that the school district and superintendent are working for the community and their hard-earned tax dollars. Hayward's letter directly insinuates that the board should be working for the superintendent, when the opposite is true. The school board serves as an oversight and evaluation body for the superintendent and the district. Mr. Hayward set a very dangerous precedent all year long.

Like it or not, school board members serve as role models for students and set the tone for meetings and for how we should treat each other. Hayward's tenure as chair, and most notably his final written act in his letter to the editor, weren't just an embarrassment to Laconia, but to neighboring Belmont where he works as the high school assistant principal. At Laconia High School, just like Belmont High School, staff work hard to teach students respect, integrity, empathy, and civic responsibility. Hayward's letter was a direct contrast to that effort.

Laconia citizens, do not be afraid to ask the hard questions. Most of all, do not be afraid of those perceived to hold power. The school district's success rests on citizens' shoulders now. Our kids are most important, not the best interest of our superintendent alone, like former board Chair Hayward believes.

Liana Crowell

Laconia