Bernards School Board Election 2022: Nimish Amin

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township Board of Education general election on Nov. 8 has nine candidates running for four open seats.

Nimish Amin is running under the campaign slogan "For Bernards Children" along with Csilla Csipak, Keith Molinari, and Lawrence Rascio.

Another group of candidates running under the campaign slogan "Education For All" includes Guddia "Herpreet" Singh, Erica Blackman, Janice Corrado, and Suzanne Schafer-Skalski.

Deborah E. Penner Smith is also running on her own under the campaign slogan "Special Education Teacher."

Amin is vying for one of the three, three-year full-term seats up for grabs.

Are you running for office in Basking Ridge? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Basking Ridge Patch.

(All of the candidates were given the same questions)

Nimish Amin

Age: N/A

Town of residence: Bernards Township

Position sought: Bernards Township School Board of Education

Family: Wife and 2 children (one child entering WAMS and one child entering Ridge High School)

Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from NJIT and a Law Degree from Rutgers University

Occupation: Lawyer

Previous or current elected appointed office: Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment

Campaign website: www.forbernardschildren.com

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

The "For Bernards Children" team, which I am fortunate to be a part of with Csilla Csipak, Keith Molinari and Larry Rascio, is committed to returning the focus of our schools to excellence in education, success and overall well-being for all children in Bernards Township.

We do not think the recent direction the BOE has taken has served our children and community well. We want to hold the school district administration accountable for improving our schools, be open and welcome input from all stakeholders in the community, ensure that the significant school budget of about $111 million annually is used intelligently and ensure our schools are not overstepping parents' roles in their children's lives.

Csilla, Keith and Larry and I have complementary skills as a team and, as importantly, the intent to hold the administration accountable to help ensure our schools are run well.

School finances have been an issue raised recently. Do you feel the Board and administration are handling this properly? And why?

I do not feel the current Board and administration are handling school finances properly. An important role of the Board is to oversee the administration's use of the school budget. We should benchmark with other school systems with similar budgets whose rankings are improving and make changes to our spending by prioritizing areas that would benefit our students the most while de-prioritizing or being more efficient in other areas, which the current BOE has not been doing.

Our athletic facilities are not being maintained and we are losing good teachers. School enrollment is declining and our cost-per-student is increasing over the last few years, but no clear reason is provided by the board meeting after meeting.

We have seen it is challenging to gain access to the financial data from the administration, and these are our property tax dollars (66 cents of every dollar goes to the school). I cannot understand how our school finances are being used properly taking into account those measures.

How do you feel about the current sex-ed curriculum in the district?

I have not met many (or any) parents who want their little kids exposed to sex education in elementary schools. For older students, we have to determine what is appropriate and at what age, respectfully taking into account parents' position, on this very sensitive topic reflecting their heritage and cultural values. This is very important.

Would you be in favor of a later school start time for students?

I have thought for a while that starting after 8:00 am would be much more reasonable. But after talking to both my kids, each said they would rather keep the start times as they are so that there is enough time for after-school activities.

But, I would want to hear from other students and parents before deciding either way, which is the hallmark of open, dialogue and consultation.

These are the kinds of changes that our BOE should be looking at after hearing from different stakeholders and then having the administration propose different options, taking factors like social well-being, busing, costs and activities into consideration.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

There are several other issues we need to address. We need to evaluate why teachers are leaving the district and benchmark with other similarly sized school districts to ensure we are competitive and have retention incentives to keep our great teachers.

We also need to look at our contracts with school vendors/service providers, including the cafeteria service, grounds maintenance and busing. There are improvements we can make in each of these areas.

We can also bring in many talented parents from our community with expertise in their respective fields who want to volunteer but are not always being tapped into for their expertise.

What sets you apart from the other challenging candidates?

Csilla, Keith, Larry and I as a team "For Bernards Children" would bring a fresh perspective to the BOE, have worked in large complex organizations and are highly committed to changing the current trajectory. Rebuilding trust between the BOE and the community may take time, but we will start being more transparent immediately to start rebuilding that trust. We will also welcome and encourage input from parents and the broader community and show them the respect that they deserve.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

My family and I have lived in Basking Ridge since 2005 and are deeply engaged in the community. Our town, and especially our schools, have a lot to offer, but I do not want to be complacent about that because I fear we have and will see that decline over the years unless the BOE changes course. I ask for your vote to help us make this change.