Dave Scannell announces bid for Ward 2 School Board seat

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MANCHESTER, NH – David Scannell, a former State Rep and former district employee, has announced a run for School Board, representing Ward 2. 

Scannell released the following statement Monday:

As a high school teacher who once taught at Central, I have real experience with the struggles our schools face today.

As a former aide to Mayor Robert Baines, former state representative, and former coordinator of school and community relations for the school district, I have worked for years to shape effective and meaningful education policy.

Most importantly, as a product of Manchester’s schools – I attended Smyth Road, Hillside, and Central – I possess a strong desire to give back to the institutions that gave so much to me.  

I am particularly grateful to the wonderful educators who made my childhood a memorable one.

As a member of the school board, I will work for…

  • fiscal responsibility,
  • educational excellence, 
  • and increasing community participation in our schools and the policy making process.

In particular, I will focus on enhancing community input through the establishment of a parents’ advisory council to make recommendations to the board and the addition of a student representative to the board.

For some, serving on the school board has become a second career.  If I am lucky enough to win, I will serve no more than three terms.  That does not give me a lot of time to make a mark, so I promise to focus with intensity on issues facing our schools – not on the personality who dominate the headlines at times.

 

In announcing his intention to run for Ward 2 school board, a seat currently held by Debra Gagnon-Langston, Scannell noted his advocacy for providing additional opportunities for public input during the recent superintendent search as evidence of the board’s “tendency to push parents and students to the side.”

“We fought back when they attempted to shut the doors on public participation, and they suddenly realized that parents, teachers, and students deserved a say in the process,” Scannell said.

And of his pledge to impose a limit on his service, to three terms, Scannell said, “My service, if I am fortunate enough to win, will be measured in years, not decades.”

Scannell, who was once a member of the English department at Manchester Central High School, currently teaches at Milford High School.

He is a graduate of Colby College and the University of Maine School of Law, he served as an aide to Mayor Robert Baines and as the school district’s coordinator of school and community relations.  He also represented Ward 2 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Scannell is a member of the Central High School Hall of Fame Committee and a former chair of the Norwin and Elizabeth Bean Foundation, an organization that has been a strong supporter of the initiatives of the Manchester School District.

Scannell lives with his wife in the house he grew up in on Maple Street.

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!