Michael Boucher

07/13/2026

Look into HB 1300

05/19/2026

One explanation for some schools outperforming others is that some districts are not having trouble funding their schools, nor are their property taxes an issue. And before anyone says it, no, they have not significantly reduced their spending or cut their administration.

If all schools were failing, the map would look uniform.

It doesn’t.

One of the most striking parts of new data from the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University (https://edopportunity.org) is a map showing academic performance by school district across New Hampshire. Some districts perform well above the national average. Some are around average. Some are struggling.

That suggests something important: our education system is not uniformly failing — it is highly uneven.

Yet much of today’s political debate treats public education as though every school is broken. The data suggest a more complicated reality. Districts with similar demographics often produce very different outcomes. Some schools are clearly succeeding despite difficult challenges.

So maybe the real question is not whether “schools are failing,” but why some districts outperform others — and what we can learn from them.

The site points to factors such as literacy, absenteeism, implementation quality, and local conditions as major drivers of outcomes. In other words, this may be less about slogans and more about understanding systems.

04/06/2026

A student ID is no longer valid for voting.

Friday, April 3: Today Gov. Ayotte signed into law HB 323 – Requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote. For those of us who regularly use a drivers license as ID when we ask for a ballot, no change. For voters who use a work ID or a student ID, because those are the IDs they normally carry, they will need to get and present a govt-issued photo ID in future elections. Non-driver photo IDs are available from the DMV with documentation, and with a voucher from a town/city clerk, they are free. Encourage your non-driving friends to apply for this ID well before the September primary!
Thank you to all who wrote to or phoned the Governor urging a veto on HB 323. We are sorry our efforts to encourage young voters weren't enough to change her mind.

03/11/2026

My run for School Board came up short. This was a tough race. I believe this campaign made one thing clear: many in our community feel the district needs a change in direction.

The school district still face challenges with the budget, finding support, and improving proficiency. I’m not going to give up on those issues. What matters most is our district’s success. If I can help it succeed in any way, I will.

Thank you for your support, your time, and meaningful conversations. Thank you for sharing your perspectives. You are all truly appreciated.

03/09/2026

Hi, I’m Michael Boucher, and I am running for School Board. Our district’s proficiency scores have been trending downward for the last three years—This Tuesday, those scores are on the ballot.

We need a course correction. As a former educator and School Board member, I have the classroom experience and the board-room knowledge to improve our academics. I’ll ensure your tax dollars are managed for better results.

I also urge you to support Julia Doherty for School Budget Committee. Julia is currently a teacher who understands the impacts of our financial decisions. Together, we’ll protect student outcomes when making the tough financial calls.

Vote Michael Boucher for School Board and Julia Doherty for School Budget Committee this Tuesday, March 10th, at the Community Center.

03/06/2026

I have a petition, Article 16, on the school ballot regarding full day kindergarten and expanding it to more families. I had a presentation during Deliberative. The presentation is mostly about the benefits of kindergarten while explaining why full day is better than half day. I share facts with sources. My presentation is less than 10 minutes long.

Timberlane Regional School District Deliberative Session

03/05/2026

Thank you to the Atkinson Women's Civic Club for organizing Candidates Night on Tuesday evening. Thank you to Jim Garrity for volunteering to moderate the forum. Thank you to everyone who came to the Community Center or tuned in on Vimeo.

For those of you still unsure about who to support for School Board, I encourage you to check out my public page, reach out to me directly with the contact info from my page, and watch Candidates Night on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/1160628969 =24m28s).

The main distinctions between me and my opponent are how we would like to improve academics and proficiency, what it takes to be fiscally responsible, and our backgrounds. The choice comes down to results: my opponent must explain why another three years would yield different outcomes for our academics and budget, while I am focused on sharing new possible solutions.

Please take the time to actually reach out and learn what each candidate is about to hear things in their own words. My opponent has gotten into a habit of speaking for me and saying things that are either not my words, or a negative reinterpretation of my words. I’ve stayed focused talking about two things: academic excellence and fiscal responsibility. These things affect me and my family directly. I know these two specific topics are at the forefront of many other families’ minds, with or without children attending district schools. These are the two main things that need to be fixed in our district. These are the two things that have not been addressed by my opponent. He wants to talk about everything else because he has no conceptual solutions. I’m not worried so much about everything else until our basic needs are met. We do not need to take on projects and introduce new spending.

I know collaboration will be key to successfully addressing the two issues I’ve outlined. No one board member can act alone to get things done. You need to get the full body, nine members, to come to a consensus. I know I can do this because I’ve worked with several of those members while I was on the board. Even during the last three years when I was not on the board, I reached out to those members to help push opportunities like fully funded full day kindergarten, which will expand education to more 5- and 6-year-olds, preparing them for first grade, and creating a pathway to improved proficiency and test scores at the lowest cost to the district possible.

Unlike my opponent, I have more to lose in this situation, like many families who have children in this district, as well as the staff who live in district. When he is unable to make sure we have a fiscally responsible budget, we could have high increases and reactive cuts from the public. These disruptions lead to higher taxes or staff leaving, which in turns affects how our children are able to learn. I’ve already heard from people who have considered moving. It’s not just the fixed income folks having the conversation. Everyone is impacted, but we all agree we need stability and balance. That’s what I am running for. That’s what I hope to achieve when working towards academic excellence and fiscal responsibility while as a school board member. If you were unsure who to vote for, I hope there is enough reason here to earn your vote on March 10th.

03/04/2026

Watch the video. I want to improve academics and I want fiscal responsibility. Both have been missing from the incumbent. Parents, taxpayers, our community deserve better.

02/27/2026

I am shocked by a post authored by Jay Markell who demanded video from me. He, nor Deb Desimone, have contacted me since the meeting held last week. (Jay didn’t even tag me in his post. Other people made me aware of it.) If either individual did actually contact me, they would know I do not have a full recording of the entire session because I did not anticipate the meeting being longer than an hour. Jay is correct that no one in the room objected to the recording. Keep in mind, public meetings can be recorded without permission.

When I spoke with Deb over the phone on February 11th, the only time we were in contact to confirm my participation, I asked if candidates unable to attend could have a statement read on their behalf. She said “no”. In my opinion, this gave an unfair advantage to those present while ignoring those who couldn't make it.

All candidates could attend the public meeting held last Friday, but all candidates were not directly invited. I know this because I spoke to the ones who were not. A matter of fact, one of those candidates who was not invited was also unaware about the meeting. I told her about it the night before the meeting. I told all these candidates who were not confirmed to be there to “just show up”.

I wanted to ensure this meeting remained as open and inclusive as possible. Since some candidates were not yet confirmed and statements weren't going to be shared for those not present, I urged them to attend. I also brought my camera equipment for an accurate record of the meeting.

The meeting happened as scheduled. Before the meeting started, Deb immediately had issue with me recording the meeting. I asked Deb if she was hosting a public meeting and she said “yes”. I proceeded to set up my camera. Deb then said I should have told her about recording the meeting and I should ask permission from the public [audience] as a courtesy. She proceeded to ask the people who were there in the room, including the general public, for permission to record. No one objected. She then asked what I planned to do with the video. I said I may use it for my own purposes.

I brought my camera for my own reference, not as a public service. I only captured a portion of the meeting because the meeting ran nearly three hours. I never promised this footage to Jay or Deb. Deb mentioned she had someone coming to record the meeting. If they wanted a full record of their meeting, they should have followed through on their own plan to record it rather than demanding my recording after the fact.

After the meeting, there was no further discussion about the recording. Deb nor Jay contacted me by email, phone, or Facebook in the following days. A few friends reached out to me earlier this week about a post from Jay demanding release of my recording.

I’m sharing all of this because I believe in transparency for what actually took place. I would have appreciated being contacted directly instead of being made aware of demands through a Facebook post. If I were contacted, Jay or Deb would have learned why I have not made the video available. It’s school vacation week. I’ve been feeling sick and been busy with all three of my kids. The last thing on my mind is an incomplete video I do not have to release. While I should not have to defend how I spend my time, I’m providing this context so the community has the full story.

The common courtesy would be to reach out directly. People know I collaborate well with others. But I do not respond to public demands, nor do I appreciate the disrespect. We are members of the same community, and I would expect more professional behavior from our representatives.