Kerry Nolte, Portsmouth School Board Candidate

Kerry Nolte

Age (as of Election Day)

38

Position Sought

School Board

Party Affiliation

Family

NH native, grew up in Amherst. Moved to the Seacoast of NH in 2007. Married with a 5 year old daughter.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

3 Degrees in Nursing: Bachelor Degree, Master Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and PhD in Nursing

Occupation

Nurse for 15 years, Nurse Practitioner for 11, Assistant Professor of Nursing at UNH since 2016 (5 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

No previous elected positions, have been appointed to state committees/ commissions by the NH Nurse Practitioner Association

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/kerrynolteportsmouthschoolboard

Why are you seeking elective office?

I look to be a collaborator and hear all of the voices involved in school board decisions. I think my expertise as a nurse and as an educator can complement the school board. I look to partner with all members of the board.
My initial reflections about the current Portsmouth school system:
-Portsmouth is fortunate to have top ranked schools in NH. The quality of schools is primarily driven by teachers, staff, and the communities they create. Retaining high quality teachers and staff should be a priority.
-Portsmouth school district already utilizes a social and emotional learning curriculum, which should be an important focus as our community continues to adjust to COVID-19.
-Offering a variety of educational opportunities- arts, music, nature, physical education, etc is crucial to the overall success of our students and their social-emotional learning.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Teacher and Staff Retention
There are currently multiple unfilled positions in the Portsmouth school system. Although hiring should be a focus, I would like to see more efforts on retention. Often school board members' exposure is through their children's experiences and the few teachers and staff they have a personal connection. I'd like to see more meaningful discussions hosted in a forum format to explicitly consider what else we can do to retain high quality teachers and staff.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My experience in community health with vulnerable families, higher education (university setting), and with health decision making as a nurse.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think the current board has done a great job with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic protocols and procedures. As we continue to move through COVID-19, I would encourage more timely adoption of evidence based protocols to give teachers and families more time to adapt. Many families have voiced frustrations about delayed decision making related to COVID-19. I think early in the pandemic this was necessary as new evidence was coming out everyday and had to be considered. Now that we have more solid recommendations for NH DHHS and the CDC, I hope that these can be utilized in more timely decision making.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I think social and emotional learning is critical to developing healthy coping mechanisms and social relationships. Portsmouth school district already utilizes a social and emotional learning curriculum, which should be an important focus as our community continues to adjust to COVID-19. Offering a variety of educational opportunities- arts, music, nature, physical education, etc is crucial to the overall success of our students and their social-emotional learning.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

The best advice ever shared with me was:

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My research work is around reducing drug related harms. Part of my learning and research is understanding the transition to drug use and injection drug use in particular. The consistent finding is trauma and few, if any, effective coping mechanisms. My passion for the incorporation of social and emotional learning as well as the importance of a variety of educational opportunities (arts etc) are closely connected to this. This type of learning is not only important in the moment but works to establish coping mechanisms for trauma resiliency.