MANCHESTER — Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Smith is a member of the New Hampshire advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the group that has assailed the Manchester School District for discriminatory practices against minority students.

The group was asked to leave a Board of School Committee meeting Monday, after charging that its investigation found there was cronyism in the hiring of faculty in the district and that minority graduation rates were “appalling.”

Smith said his involvement with the committee has been “limited” since he entered the race for governor and that he was unfamiliar with work of the subcommittee that put together the report to the Manchester school committee.

Smith defended Mayor Ted Gatsas, who asked the civil rights group to leave about 30 minutes into its presentation Monday.

“I have the utmost faith in Mayor Gatsas and that the hiring practices and the programs they’re implementing are on the up and up,” he said.