04-03-2025
Exeter Region Cooperative School District candidate 2025: Brian Duffy
Name: Brian Duffy
Town: Brentwood
Education: JD, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law; BA, University of Massachusetts
Occupation: Vice president and general counsel, Northeast Delta Dental
Political or civic experience highlights: I am in my fifth year on the Swasey School Board and completing my first year as chair of that board. During my five years, I have helped the school weather the pandemic as well as negotiated a fair contract for the Brentwood Teachers Association and negotiated the first-ever contract for the Brentwood Educational Support Professionals. During my tenure, the town also passed a bond to install solar panels on the roof of the school.
What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?: The Swasey board operates with 4 goals. The first among these is to keep students at the center of the decision-making process; the second is to use data to shape policy and allocate resources to support student growth and learning; the third is to improve community engagement; and the fourth is to promote environmental stewardship and maintain fiscal responsibility. Our board has delivered on these goals: the Swasey Central School traditionally has the lowest per-pupil spending in the SAU while achieving exceptional results, including winning the 2023 New Hampshire Excellence in Education award. I look forward to bringing the same reason and pragmatism to the Coop board to ensure that the middle and high schools are adequately and appropriately funded and that educators have the necessary support and independence to deliver the best education possible to our children.
What are your views about diversity, equity and inclusion in schools?: This is a loaded question, in large part because of the different ways people define "DEI." Providing a successful and effective education requires meeting students where they are and understanding where they are from. Students are coming from increasingly diverse backgrounds and appropriate DEI tools and strategies can help those students feel welcome and ready to learn and assist educators in delivering the best education possible. Equity means providing all students with an education, consistent with Article 83 of the New Hampshire Constitution.
What else should voters know about you?: During my five years on the Swasey board, I have served on the SAU 16 Policy Committee, helping to shape school policies to ensure compliance with developing law, and have had the opportunity to work with members of the SAU 16 administration both in that capacity and on the Swasey Board. Therefore, I do bring a level of familiarity with incumbent board members and the SAU 16 administration. I hope that this experience can be an asset to the Coop board.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter Region Cooperative School District candidate 2025: Brian Duffy
