The Concord Board of Education race in “Zone B,” or Wards 5-7, is one to watch this year.
Cara Meeker, up for her second three-year term, is the board’s secretary and chairs its policy committee. Her career is in administrative work for state governments in New Hampshire and Colorado, and she has volunteered with CASA, local festivals and is vice president of the Rundlett parent-teacher organization.
Jeff Wells is a retired State of New Hampshire IT professional and co-founder of the Concord Concerned Citizens, a group that organized around the middle school project and pushed ballot questions that led the school board to move project plans away from East Concord back to a rebuild at the current location on South Street.
There’s history here.
In citywide school board races last year, candidates aligned with the Concerned Citizens fared poorly, even as the group’s charter amendments overwhelmingly passed.
The board has scheduled a meeting for the end of October with the intention of, finally, making an up-down vote on whether or not to build a new school in the South End. This is the only contested race on the school board ballot this year, and election day is less than two weeks after that expected vote.
Wells joining the race will likely make it another proxy-referendum on the project and its nine-figure price tag. He wrote to The Monitor that Meeker “should have listened to her constituents relative to the middle school’s location.”
However, Meeker voted twice in favor of keeping the middle school at Rundlett, once in December 2023, when the board initially chose the Broken Ground location for the new school, and again this January, when she was part of a majority that agreed to reverse course after public pushback.
Voting for Rundlett in 2023, she said, “We have people that are telling us what they want, and for us to not even start the conversation that way is disappointing to me. I think we should listen to the public.”
Where the two candidates split on the project is that Meeker said the district should vote to build a new school this fall, while Wells said he is opposed to the district building a new middle school and prefers a partial rebuild or renovation.
Beyond that issue, Wells told the Monitor he is most concerned about academic performance and student enrollment levels, while Meeker pointed to the need for creative solutions to bringing down district costs — like bringing some special education services in-house.
Scroll for more information about the candidates.
Cara Meeker
Age: 45
Years living in Concord: 4
Top issues: Budget and property tax rates, middle school replacement, special education and student services
Reason for running: “I really do love it. The work is hard and meaningful, and I have so enjoyed getting to know the incredible staff and teachers that make CSD great.”
Key points:
- On her background: “Some folks will call me a newcomer no matter how long I’m here, ha! But seriously, I’m lucky to be in a big extended Concord family that tells me all about the city’s rich history. I understand that I need to know where we’ve come from so we can decide where we’re going.”
- On the middle school: “After all the research and presentations, I believe that a new build is the best idea and the best bang for our buck. Renovations aren’t enough, and there is no half-measure that gets us where we need to go… If we’re asking our neighbors to tighten their belts, our district should be willing to do the same, which I will advocate for as a board member.”
- On budgeting: “I’d like to see more analysis on what else we can bring in-house to prevent price spikes and unexpected costs. The board has also eliminated teaching positions in the last two budget cycles to reduce cost and adjust to declining enrollment, as most districts are experiencing. I think we need to continue to review positions that currently sit vacant.”
Jeff Wells
Age: 72
Years living in Concord: 34
Top issues: Middle school replacement, enrollment and class sizes, academic outcomes and student achievement
Reason for running: “I’ve observed that decisions often lack sufficient information or discussion. I aim to question when necessary and debate solutions rather than simply accepting those from paid vendors.”
Key points:
- On his background: “I offer expertise in vendor evaluation, contract management and getting down to the ground level on items that are foreign and not clearly defined.”
- On the middle school: “The most immediate and pressing issue is the enhancement of Rundlett Middle School. The district must manage a project of historic size and cost while balancing the lack of state aid, debt levels and taxpayer impact… The school’s design exceeds our budget. We should evaluate what taxpayers can afford and consider combining existing structures with new construction.”
- On budgeting: “The City in general needs to slow and consider what are our needs versus our wants… I will represent all taxpayers while working to provide the best education that is fiscally responsible to all.”
