Seabrook principal quits, says School Board not acting in ‘best interest of students’
SEABROOK — Seabrook Elementary School Principal Bryan Belanger has resigned and expects to leave his post Tuesday, the result of recent decisions made by the Seabrook School Board.
Belanger resigned effective June 30, the end of this school year. But according to Belanger, upon receipt of his letter, the School Board met in a private emergency session last Friday, accepted his resignation and informed him his last day would be May 14. That’s the same day as the Seabrook School Board’s next meeting, which takes place at 4:30 p.m. in the library of Seabrook Middle School.
Belanger’s resignation follows several contentious Seabrook School Board meetings in recent months that have caused controversy in the community and which some have called “chaotic.” At those meetings, the board refused to accept proposals Belanger feels would help Seabrook children in a school district that has struggled for years with poor student performance scores.
As well as rejecting a preschool proposal Belanger put forth, other actions included the board’s decision on April 16 to turn down more than $1.3 million in two grants. Those grants would have supported student mental health.
“We had three School Board meetings in three weeks,” Belanger said. “At those meetings, I believe the board made decisions that were not in the best interest of Seabrook students and their families.”
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Belanger believes the School Board’s behavior in recent months has been unethical and detrimental to the students and families. After receiving several job offers from other districts in recent months, Belanger decided to take one of them and leave Seabrook. However, he had planned to finish out the remainder of the school year to maintain continuity for students and staff.
Delivered last week, Belanger's resignation letter stated he was leaving with “mixed emotions.”
“This decision has not been an easy one,” Belanger wrote, “but after a lot of reflection and soul-searching, I have come to the realization that there is a misalignment between my professional values and the direction I see for the school, and the vision of the School Board.”
Belanger’s resignation surprised many because since he first began working with the district in 2006 as SAU 21's technical systems administrator, he often spoke of how much he loved the Seabrook community. He moved up to become Seabrook Middle School’s assistant principal for curriculum and integration in 2009, leaving in 2014 to spend a year as interim principal at the elementary school when former principal Jenny Mosca left.
After that, Belanger went on to principalships at Manchester’s Parker-Varney Elementary School and Lamprey River Elementary School in Raymond. He’s also worked at Southern New Hampshire University as an adjunct professor and director of certification and licensure.
In January 2022, Belanger’s career came full circle, he said, when he signed on to become Seabrook Elementary School’s principal. At the time he said he couldn’t be happier to return, adding he enjoyed every day at SES.
In his resignation letter, Belanger said his primary goal at SES “has been to create an environment where every student and staff member can thrive, and I have dedicated myself wholeheartedly to that mission each day.”
He expressed his sincere thanks to SAU 21 Superintendent Meredith Nadeau and staff, SES teachers, parents and the children.
“I want everyone to know I love every one of the kids in Seabrook,” Belanger said. “I had some of their parents when I was there years ago.”
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seabrook Elementary Principal Bryan Belanger quits
