Each year, a group at Kendal known as PACT queries candidates for the school board in Hanover about their views, and then makes their responses available both to Kendal residents and to the public at large. Here’s their latest.
School Board Elections
Hanover – Tuesday, March 3, 2026
We at Kendal at Hanover may no longer have children in School, but we care about education for future generations who will run our town, our state and our country. This annual School Board Election asks you to vote on its annual budget, several other financial questions, uncontested seats for School Board Moderator, Clerk, and Treasurer, a contested election for one seat on the Hanover School Board and an uncontested election for one seat on the Dresden School Board*. Please look at the draft ballot on the poster, and on the Voter Bulletin Board. The Kendal bus will provide transportation on March 3---information on bus timings will be advertised later. If you need an absentee ballot, read carefully the information on the poster.
Each year PACT (People Acting for Change Together) asks candidates for the school board questions about their qualifications and priorities. Responses for the three candidates follow. PACT neither endorses nor opposes any candidate for office.
Candidates for Hanover School Board (both are running for the same 3-year seat):
1. Why do you seek to be a member of the Hanover School Board, and what do you hope to contribute?
Christopher J. Rivet
As a former high school science teacher, I have experienced firsthand the challenges that schools, teachers, and students face today. I hope to increase the board’s sensitivity towards those in Hanover for whom property taxes are a financial burden, and help the school board honor its duty of being financially responsible to the taxpayers.
Tara Velozo
I am a longtime Hanover resident. It has been my pleasure to serve on our district's School Board for the past three years. Some of my fondest memories have been volunteering in our local schools and in my children's classrooms. Once my kids graduated from HHS, I ran for the School Board so I could continue to contribute to the excellent work done at our schools. My own career path has been primarily in IT management. I am proud to have a mom who was a career-long public-school teacher.
I am running for Hanover School Board because both education and service are personal values that I hold dear, because education really is the most important job in our democracy, and because I care about supporting an educational process in our community that nurtures independent thinkers who are passionate about being good citizens of the world. I am glad to contribute my business knowledge and managerial experience from being a CEO in my small corner of the IT world, and I am also glad to contribute the skills I have gained as a mom. I hope to continue the work I started on various Budget Committees for the School District, with contracts and the negotiation process, as Chair of the Tuition Committee, on the Central Staff Development Committee, and as the School Board representative to the Hanover Finance Committee. It is a joy to use my voice and perspectives to contribute to robust board discussions in support of a high-quality educational program.
2. In your view, what is the most urgent challenge facing public schools in New Hampshire? Explain the challenge and what can be done about it.
Christopher J. Rivet
The most urgent challenge is managing the effect of inflation on operating costs. For example, this year the Hanover schools had a 26% increase in healthcare costs. For many the ~20% tax increase over the past three years is unsustainable. This is on top of a proposed $70 million capital improvement plan, which will only compound the burden. I propose that local taxes would only cover the basic schooling requirements imposed by the state, while sports, technology, and large climate initiatives (such as a $4 million cost to upgrade lights to LED, or $1.8 million for an electric school bus) are locally fundraised. I’m confident there’s no shortage of generosity in Hanover, and we should not burden our lowest income population to subsidize beyond what is required. This, I think, is how we get Hanover to be a more affordable, diverse, and equitable place to live.
Tara Velozo
Public education currently faces a challenging funding and legislative environment, both at the federal and state levels. These challenges include unfunded mandates, delayed/ disrupted funding streams, and a contemplated sweeping new enrollment statute which lacks logistical and funding clarity and erodes local control. Locally, our school district faces significant financial headwinds on the expense side, especially in runaway costs to our insurance benefit premiums during my time on the board. The School Board serves both the schools and the taxpayers. If the community sees fit to elect me to another three-year term on the board, I anticipate focusing my energies and efforts on review and update of the district budget planning process to achieve process efficiencies, move from a siloed budget process to a more simplified, consolidated process, and to seek district cost savings with structural budget changes. This work would endeavor to ensure the quality of our educational program and student experience while also responsibly managing the taxpayer burden.
I appreciate, tremendously, the public-school education that led me to attend college in Hanover and to make this lovely community my home. And I appreciate, as always, the opportunity to support and contribute to the public-school excellence in our district.
Candidate for two-year Hanover School District seat (and with a seat on the Dresden board) - Reneé Sullivan