There are two people running for one opening on the Souhegan School Board. It is important for voters to understand what their choice will mean when it comes to getting things done as a member of the Souhegan School Board. The two candidates may have many things in common, but I can guarantee that their approaches to the job of being a school board member are very different.

As a former Souhegan Board member, I remember some of the hard lessons learned about optimizing effectiveness. First, your job as a board member is to set policy and not be tempted to run the school (the superintendent’s job). You also must do your homework, ask great questions, express your opinion, but be collaborative enough to accept the views of others and openly support the board majority in the community. Additional hard lessons to learn are that: 1) Change comes at a glacial pace and 2) Your decisions must be made in the interest of the total school system and not influenced by special interest groups. Last, but not least, and probably the most important lesson is as follows: As a board member you have no power or authority as an individual board member. Only the board as a whole can make policies and decisions for the school district.

If you want an effective board member who already is ahead of the learning curve, one who will be collaborative, reasonable, knowledgeable and extremely effective in getting things done, I heartily recommend Martin Goulet. He brings enthusiasm, two years of budget experience on Souhegan’s Finance Advisory Committee, thoughtfulness, a sharp mind, skill in using data and a strong work ethic. In addition, he has kids at Souhegan so is clearly invested in making sure that academic excellence is maintained at Souhegan and is keenly aware of the role excellent schools play in making our communities attractive places to raise a family. He celebrates what we do best at Souhegan but also recognizes that there are areas for improvement and is willing to put in the time and effort to make that happen. We are very fortunate to have people like Martin in our community willing to step up and run for Souhegan School Board. Please vote for Martin Goulet on March 13 at Souhegan High School.