MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Manchester Board of School Committee approved a motion to receive and file a charter violation complaint against BOSC Member David Scannell.
Roysan Street Resident Jim Gaudet submitted the complaint against Scannell following the recent discovery that Scannell released an email from a Central High School student and its subsequent response by BOSC Member Rich Girard to the news media. In that response, Girard criticized the student for their opinion that Manchester’s teachers deserved increased pay.
Gaudette urged the board to set aside petty bickering and infighting and unite to refer the complaint to a public conduct board made up of BOSC members that would investigate the matter further.
BOSC Vice Chairman Arthur Beaudry called the proposal a waste of time, claiming that the conduct board would be little more than a political exercise and instead advising that the matter should be referred to the Hillsborough County Superior Court.
BOSC Member Lisa Freeman agreed with Beaudry’s assessment, believing that the BOSC was unable to police itself.
“We have two camps: the Scannell camp and the Girard camp,” said Freeman. “What the conduct board will do is give us an opinion we already know. What we need is a resolution.”
BOSC Member John Avard felt that it was inappropriate to address the complaint without also addressing Girard’s actions, with Mayor Joyce Craig referring back to a sentence she shared at the beginning of the meeting.
She shared that sentence from a book on best school board practices, asking the board to hold its focus on priorities that improve Manchester’s schools.
“This board needs to set its sights on these priorities and others and not on each other,” she said.
The motion, which means the complaint will not be referred to a committee, passed 8-4-2. The mayor joined with the majority, with Girard joining Freeman, Ross Terrio, Jimmy Lehoux in opposition. Kelly Thomas and Mary Nowanda-Georges voted to abstain, with Scannell not voting due to his conflict of interest in the matter.
Later in the meeting, Scannell apologized for violating the student’s privacy and apologized to Girard for creating an uncollegial atmosphere on the board.
CORRECTION: Gaudet is from Roysan Street, not Boynton Street.