Seabrook School Board appoints new principal, stands firm on controversial decisions

SEABROOK — Seabrook Elementary School Assistant Principal Tim Dow will assume the principalship for the 2024-25 school year in the wake of the departure of Bryan Belanger.

The board voted unanimously to appoint Dow to the position during a special emergency meeting on Monday. School Board Chair Maria Brown said he signed a one-year contract that will be revisited in March 2025.

"We're very excited to begin the 2024-25 school year with Mr. Dow steering the ship," Brown said.

The appointment comes on the heels of the resignation of Belanger and the board's decision not to allow him to finish the remainder of the school year.

Belanger said he quit following three School Board meetings in three weeks, at which he believes the board acted in an “unethical” manner, making “decisions that were not in the best interest of Seabrook students and their families.”

In a school system that has struggled for decades with low-performance test scores, high homelessness, and food insecurity rates, Belanger saw it ill-advised the board shot down $1.3 million in grants to pay for mental health professionals to work with students and families enduring social stress.

He also took issue with the board's decision not to accept his proposal to expand preschool, which would have allowed more students to participate.

Previous story: Seabrook School Board under fire after principal departure

Brown declined to comment on Belanger's decision to resign and the public's reaction. School Board member Patrick Knott said in response to the same question, "No decision is ever made lightly."

"I understand people's frustrations, but at the end of the day, he decided to break his contract and commitment to Seabrook Elementary and resign," Knott said. "We are confident that Tim will be an excellent replacement and help bring our school forward."

Knott also defended the board's decision regarding the grants and preschool expansion. Knott said the concern with the grants for mental health professionals was that those positions would be rolled into the operating budget, putting the burden on taxpayers.

"The board is trying to be fiscally responsible when looking at grants," Knott said. "Just because money is free now doesn't mean it's free later."

He said the issue with expanding preschool was that it would mean less time in class for the older preschool students.

"The board felt that kids that were entering kindergarten the following year needed more class time," Knott said. "While we appreciate the effort to expand, we found that it was going to cut education opportunities for the older preschoolers."

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Brown said at last week's School Board meeting the board was working to "clean up the mess" in Seabrook schools. She said Wednesday that referred to the difficulties students have had with reading and math. She said the board will be meeting with administrators and staff to plan for the 2024-25 school year focusing "first and foremost on how to support our struggling students and our gifted students."

Dow, who joined the Seabrook School District in 2022, was previously appointed interim principal on Belanger's last day on the job, which was May 14. His appointment to the role of principal for the coming school year came at the recommendation of SAU 21 Superintendent Meredith Nadeau.

Dow previously worked in the Manchester School District, where he served as an assistant principal. According to his resume, Dow is a graduate of Keene State College with a degree in elementary education and psychology, as well as a master's in educational administration from Grand Canyon University of Arizona.

Brown said the board is in the process of hiring an assistant middle school principal and plans to start the process of hiring a new assistant principal for the elementary school.

She said the board plans to hold a retreat work session with the administration this summer.

"The board is going to have a retreat session so we can sit with our administrators and the board and discuss the big concerns," Brown said at the special School board meeting. "It's academics, behavior, and communication to the community."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seabrook School Board names new principal amidst leadership shake-up